Blue Jays 3 - 4 Rays
Final
  for this game

Archer, Rays top Blue Jays

Jun 24, 2015 - 6:46 AM St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Chris Archer fired eight strong innings and the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-3 in the second portion of a three-game set.

Archer (9-4) won a career-best sixth straight decision after giving up just two runs -- one earned -- on three hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.

"Archer was outstanding, and he continues to go out and impress," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said.

Asdrubal Cabrera hit a solo home run and scored twice, while Brandon Guyer and Joey Butler each drove in a run for the Rays, who ended a two-game skid.

Dioner Navarro and Edwin Encarnacion each homered for the Blue Jays, who won the series opener 8-5 on Monday. R.A. Dickey (3-7) allowed three runs on eight hits and three walks over seven innings.

Tampa Bay went ahead in the fifth. Kevin Kiermaier singled and took second on a passed ball. Butler hit a liner to right for an RBI single. After Evan Longoria walked, Butler moved to third on Logan Forsythe's single and scored on center fielder Kevin Pillar's error for a 3-1 game.

In the seventh, Jose Bautista worked a leadoff walk off Archer and Navarro's bloop single to right two batters later placed runners at the corners. After Russell Martin popped out to foul territory, Bautista scored on Evan Longoria's throwing error at third to get the Blue Jays within a run.

Cabrera provided an insurance run for the Rays with a shot to right off Steve Delabar to start the eighth.

"That extra run in the eighth inning was the difference," Toronto manager John Gibbons said.

Encarnacion's blast to left with one out in the ninth made it a 4-3 game, but Brad Boxberger set down the next two batters for his 19th save of the season.

The Rays opened the scoring in the second. Cabrera singled on a soft liner to center, moved to second on a wild pitch and hustled home on Guyer's single to center. Guyer was caught in a rundown on the play.

Archer retired Toronto's first 13 batters, but lost his perfect game with one out in the fifth after Navarro stroked a 1-1 fastball just over the wall in right.

Game Notes

Archer's previous high was five straight winning decisions from June 23-July 27, 2013 ... The Rays improved to 15-7 in June, clinching a winning month of June for the first time since going 16-11 in 2011 ... Tampa Bay is 7-2 against Toronto this season.






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