• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Navarro's grand slam fuels Rays past Blue Jays

May 9, 2008 - 6:52 AM TORONTO (Ticker) -- Dioner Navarro belted a grand slam to cap a five-run 13th inning as the Tampa Bay Rays posted an 8-3 triumph over the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday.

Gabe Gross and Carlos Pena homered for Tampa Bay, which has won 10 of its last 15 games.

With the game tied at 3-3, Jason Bartlett led off the 13th with an infield single off Shawn Camp (0-1). After Akinori Iwamura's single sent Bartlett to third, Carl Crawford plated the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to right.

The Blue Jays then loaded the bases, and Navarro cleared them by blasting a 3-2 fastball into the right field seats for his second career grand slam.

"That's the kind of game where if you lose it, going into tomorrow, it's really rather devastating," Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon said. "But then again, when you win it with this kind of script, then it can be something that can catapult you in a positive way.

J.P. Howell (1-0) threw three scoreless innings - striking out three - to pick up the win.

"We just kept battling and doing whatever we had to do to stay in the game," Navarro said. "This is big for us. We had a bad series in Boston (losing all three games), but we came back here, won the first game, lost yesterday and now win a game like this. I think it is going to get us pumped up for the next series back home."

The Blue Jays had a prime opportunity to end the battle of the bullpens in the 10th when Alex Rios led off the frame with a triple. However, Dan Wheeler worked out of a bases-loaded jam to end the threat.

"It's pathetic," Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun said. "We're a way better club than this. There's no excuse. We can talk about it until we're blue in the face. I'm pretty sick of talking about it. We need to go out there and start getting those runs home."

Toronto finished just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

"We tie a ballgame late, have our opportunities and don't get it done," Zaun said. "That's the way it's been going for us. We just haven't gotten the job done."

Toronto forced extra innings by rallying from a 3-0 deficit in the ninth, which spoiled a terrific outing from Edwin Jackson.

Jackson threw eight scoreless innings before giving way to Troy Percival, who blew his first save of the season.

Scott Rolen led off the ninth with a single, and Vernon Wells followed with a two-run homer to left field. Wells' homer marked the first runs Percival has allowed this season. Percival had been a perfect in his seven previous save opportunities.

"They took some good at-bats against me," Percival said. "Hill hit a good pitch. The only good pitch that I threw got hit. It's just one of those days where they beat me. There's just nothing I can say about it."

Lyle Overbay doubled to left-center setting the stage for Hill, who laced a game-tying single to center field. Pinch runner Joe Inglett slid in just ahead of the throw from B.J. Upton.

"That's a tough one," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "We were down the whole way, got to Troy Percival, who hadn't been touched all year, climb back in it. That was a heartbreaker. We've got to regroup and regroup fast."

"We're all struggling and ... we're all guilty," Overbay said. "If one or two people were doing it, then we could get away with it - but when you're all doing it, it's frustrating."

Tampa Bay carried a 3-0 lead into the ninth on the strength of a two-run shot from Gross in the fifth and a solo homer from Pena in the seventh.

Jackson, who had been 0-3 with a 7.97 ERA in his last three outings, allowed just six hits with three strikeouts and one walk.

Blue Jays starter Jesse Litsch allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings.