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Moore, balanced offense send Rays over Jays

Jun 26, 2013 - 2:57 AM St. Petersburg, FL (Sports Network) - Desmond Jennings was one of five different Tampa Bay players to drive in one run and Matt Moore matched a career-high with 11 strikeouts, as the Rays downed the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1, in the middle test of a three-game set at Tropicana Field.

Jennings finished with two hits, while Sean Rodriguez, Ben Zobrist, Wil Myers and Kelly Johnson all plated a run apiece for the Rays, winners of three straight and five of seven overall.

Moore (10-3) earned his second straight win following a three-game slide by tossing six frames, allowing the lone run on four hits, though he did walk six in the win.

One day after its 11-game winning streak came to an end in 4-1 loss, Toronto struggled offensively again, generating just six hits and one run thanks to Maicer Izturis' second-inning RBI single.

Mark Buehrle (4-5) allowed four runs on eight hits with four walks in five frames to absorb the loss. He struck out two.

Toronto plated the game's first run in the second after Moore walked his second batter of the frame, J.P. Arencibia, to put runners on first and second with two outs. Izturis then smacked a single to put the Jays on top 1-0.

However, that was the only offense the visitors would provide all game long and the Rays struck back in the fourth while scoring three runs to take control.

Buehrle struggled early issuing a leadoff walk, then plunking Johnson and giving up a Jennings single to load the bases. The next two batters, Rodriguez and Zobrist, provided back-to-back sacrifice flys to make it 3-1. Jose Molina scored on Rodriguez's hit in impressive fashion by dodging Arencibia's tag attempt at the plate.

Buehrle intentionally walked Evan Longoria and the hot-hitting rookie Myers made him pay with an RBI single to left-center to make it 4-1 Tampa Bay.

The hosts added another run in the seventh versus Brett Cecil as Johnson's groundout to second scored Yunel Escobar, who singled to lead off the frame.

Game Notes

Moore has defeated the Jays twice this season with his other win coming on May 8 ... Escobar and James Loney each finished 3-for-5, while Longoria walked three times ... Toronto left 11 runners on base and went 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position ... Moore's 120 pitches were a career-high.