Kirk’s three-run homer powers Blue Jays past Rays

TORONTO – Alejandro Kirk’s three-run blast powered the Toronto Blue Jays past the Tampa Bay Rays 3-1 connected Wednesday.

Kirk’s 3rd location tally of the play broke unfastened the crippled aft Toronto (21-21) trailed by a tally for 2 innings.

Chris Bassitt struck retired six and constricted the Rays to conscionable 1 tally implicit 5 2/3 innings, contempt giving up 7 hits and 2 walks.

Relievers Brendon Little (2-0), Yariel Rodriguez and Yimi Garcia preserved the win, with Garcia earning his 3rd prevention of the season.

Kameron Misner’s RBI azygous successful the 3rd gave Tampa Bay (19-23) its lone pb of the game.

Ryan Pepiot (2-5) gave up 3 runs implicit six innings of work, striking retired 7 but giving up six hits and a walk. Eric Orze pitched 2 innings of scoreless relief.

Takeaways

Rays: Pepiot was superb until the sixth inning erstwhile helium walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. — his archetypal bases connected balls of the crippled — and past gave up a azygous to Daulton Varsho, mounting up Kirk’s three-run homer and Tampa’s loss.

Blue Jays: Leaving runners connected basal continues to beryllium a occupation for Toronto, with the hosts stranding six crossed the game, including Guerrero astatine 3rd basal twice. That adds to the 305 players near connected basal by the Blue Jays, tied with the Philadelphia Phillies for seventh astir successful Major League Baseball, heading into Wednesday’s game.

Key moment

Bassitt’s outing could person been derailed successful the 4th erstwhile Travis Jankowski made interaction with the ball. Blue Jays 2nd baseman Ernie Clement fielded the deed and fired it location to Kirk to get Misner retired astatine location for the inning’s 2nd out. Danny Jansen past grounded retired to bounds the harm to Misner’s RBI single.

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Key stat

Kirk’s batting mean improved to. 293 with 2 hits connected Wednesday, eights points amended than his mean successful 2022 erstwhile helium made his lone all-star crippled appearance.

Up next

Kevin Gausman (3-3) volition instrumentality the mound for Toronto successful the matinee finale Thursday.

Zack Littell (2-5) gets the commencement for Tampa Bay.

This study by The Canadian Press was archetypal published May 14, 2025.