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Navarro, Hinske power Rays past Blue Jays

Apr 23, 2008 - 3:50 AM ORLANDO, Florida (Ticker) -- Dioner Navarro and Eric Hinske helped the Tampa Bay Rays make a second trip to Disney World a successful one.

Navarro and Hinske each had three hits and two RBI to lead the Tampa Bay Rays to a 6-4 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday.

With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth, Navarro's single to center field drove in Hinske from third, giving Tampa Bay the lead. Later in the inning, Jason Bartlett's run-scoring base hit made it 5-3.

Hinske, who had three hits and came up a single shy of the cycle, had an RBI triple and solo homer and rookie Evan Longoria also blasted a solo shot for the Rays.

"Yes, I knew about (getting the cycle) in my last at-bat," said Hinske, who struck out in the eighth, failing to become the first Rays player to accomplish that feat. "The bottom line is we got a win tonight. It was a much-needed win. I would have liked hitting for the cycle but I'll take three hits and a win any day of the week."

Blue Jays manager John Gibbons thinks Hinske's time with the world champion Boston Red Sox the last year and half has made him a better player.

"He went over to a championship team and learned to play a good brand of baseball," Gibbons said. "He played a nice little part in Boston and is doing the same with the Rays. He's matured and is a tough out. Ever since he left here in 2006 he's given us trouble."

It was the first of a three-game home set at Champions Stadium at the Walt Disney Complex here. Tampa Bay played a three-game regular season series here in May 2007 to try to expand its fan base throughout in the state.

James Shields (2-1) allowed four runs - two earned - and six hits to improve to 3-0 lifetime against Toronto. The righthander, who walked two and struck out five, earned his first decision in three starts.

"James' performance was nice," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "He struggled a little bit early on but then found something toward the end of the game when he gathered his command. He wasn't as sharp as he can be, but he found his niche. And of course Danny (Wheeler) and Percy (Troy Percival) pitched great."

Wheeler pitched the eighth before the veteran Percival came on in the ninth to record his second save of the season.

The Blue Jays went ahead in the second inning on a pair of Tampa Bay errors and Marco Scutaro's RBI groundout for a 2-0 lead.

However, in the bottom of the frame, Longoria's solo blast followed by a double by Hinske and a single by Navarro off Toronto starter Jesse Litsch (2-1) knotted the score at 2-2.

"I was throwing them over the middle of the plate and they were just getting hit," Litsch said. "I need to locate more.

"Early on I felt good but I just started to make some bad pitches. I need to get my sinker back. I have it occasionally but I have to throw it for strikes all the time. It's something I'll be working on like crazy until my next start."

Scutaro's run-scoring single in the fourth gave the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead before the Rays did their damage off Litsch in the bottom of the frame.

Litsch gave up five runs, eight hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings to fall to 1-2 in four career starts vs. Tampa Bay. It was the fourth time in four outings the Blue Jays righthander failed to go at least six innings.

"Inconsistent," Gibbons said of Litsch. "We talked about it the other day - about shut-down innings. He had a couple of them tonight and we were right back in the game when they took the lead.

"We're having trouble scoring runs and you got to shut the opponent down somehow. You saw it. It's the kind of pitcher he is. He's got to do it."

Longoria, Hinske and Navarro, the Rays' Nos. 5-6-7 hitters, combined to go 7-for-11 with five RBI.