Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Match Player Stats On Sep 06, 2019

Rookie Brendan McKay and four relievers combined for a two-hitter, Mike Zunino smacked a two-run homer and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 5-0 on Friday night.

Austin Meadows had two hits and an RBI for the AL wild-card leaders, who have won eight of their past nine games.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning against Cole Sulser but Emilio Pagan came on and retired three straight batters to end it.

McKay, who finished August on the minor league injured list due to left shoulder fatigue, pitched his first game since Aug. 19. He delivered 3 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball, striking out seven without a walk.

Relievers Peter Fairbanks (1 1/3 innings), Andrew Kittredge (two innings), Sulser (one-plus innings) and Pagan followed McKay. Fairbanks (1-2) picked up the win and Pagan earned his 19th save as Tampa Bay pitchers struck out 13, with two walks.

Randal Grichuk's first-inning triple was the Blue Jays' only hit until Anthony Alford's ninth-inning single.

Toronto starter Clay Buchholz (1-4) allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits over six innings.

The Blue Jays have lost five in a row and seven of the past eight.

The Rays jumped on Buchholz in the bottom of the first when Meadows singled with one out and Avisail Garcia followed with a double to make it 1-0.

Willy Adames singled leading off the second inning and, with one out, Zunino connected with a 1-1 cutter for his ninth homer of the season and the lead was 3-0.

Tampa Bay added a run in the fourth when Adames hit a one-out double and later scored on a passed ball.

The Rays added one in the eighth when Joey Wendle reached on an error leading off, advanced to third on Matt Duffy's single and scored on a single by Meadows.

--Field Level Media