• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Rays hit four homers, top Blue Jays

Aug 27, 2011 - 6:04 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Evan Longoria hit two of Tampa Bay's four home runs to back James Shields' major league-leading 10th complete game, as the Rays handled the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1, in the opener of a four-game series.

Desmond Jennings and John Jaso also homered for the Rays, who started a seven- game road trip on Friday.

Shields (12-10) gave up one run on seven hits while improving to 9-5 lifetime against Toronto. He struck out 12 and walked one.

Only four other active pitchers have had nine or more complete games in a season -- Roy Halladay (4 times), Livan Hernandez (2), CC Sabathia and Bartolo Colon.

"Phenomenal year so far," Shields said. "Ten CGs, I never really thought I would be doing that this season. It's a lot of hard work. It's very gratifying, but I'm trying to get some more."

The Rays have had 11 consecutive starts of seven or more innings, the longest streak by any team since June 11-23, 2003, when the Seattle Mariners had 11 straight starts of seven innings or longer.

Brett Lawrie hit a solo homer for the Blue Jays, who have lost five of seven.

Henderson Alvarez (0-2) allowed four runs on four hits over six innings to suffer the loss. He struck out six and walked two.

Toronto was without manager John Farrell, who has been diagnosed with pneumonia. Farrell left Thursday night's 9-6 home loss to the Kansas City Royals after having muscle pain below his rib cage on the left side of his torso. He was released from a local hospital and is resting at home. Bench coach Don Wakamatsu took over coaching duties for Friday's game.

Lawrie's solo homer to left in the second gave the Blue Jays an early edge.

"He likes to keep his changeup down, so I was fortunate enough to take those pitches down, got a 3-1 pitch I could handle and barrel it up," Lawrie said.

Tampa Bay kept the home run parade going in the third. Jaso was hit by a pitch with one out. After Reid Brignac struck out swinging, Jennings crushed Alvarez's hanging breaking ball off the facing of the second deck in left.

Longoria led off the fourth and sixth with homers to make it a 4-1 contest.

The bottom of the sixth featured the ejection of Blue Jays right fielder Jose Bautista. After striking out, Bautista slammed his bat in the dugout and made a comment to home plate umpire Bill Welke. The remark resulted in Bautista being tossed from the game. Bautista threw a few things onto the field before leaving.

The Rays hit their fourth homer of the game in the seventh. This time around, Jaso hit a solo homer off Joel Carreno to make it a 5-1 contest.

Tampa Bay added a run in the ninth. Matt Joyce led off with a double and scored on a pair of wild pitches by Wil Ledezma.

Game Notes

Tampa Bay is 8-4 against the Blue Jays this season...Longoria has seven career two-homer games...Shields has 15 career complete games...Blue Jays outfielder Travis Snider's season is most likely over after being diagnosed with tendinitis in his right wrist. Snider underwent an MRI on Wednesday and further examination on Thursday did not change the prognosis, that he should rest the wrist for 4-to-6 weeks...Toronto claimed outfielder DeWayne Wise off waivers from the Florida Marlins.