TORONTO (AP) — Jonathan Aranda hit a home run and drove in three, Richie Palacios had three hits and three RBIs, and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-5 on Monday night, their 15th win in their last 17 games.
Chandler Simpson had three hits, stole two bases and scored three runs as the Rays improved their AL-best record when scoring four runs or more to 21-4. Tampa Bay has won 10 straight and 20 of 21 when scoring four or more.
Andrés Giménez hit two home runs for the Blue Jays, the first multihomer game of his career. Giménez hit a three-run drive off Drew Rasmussen in the second and added a two-run shot off Ian Seymour in the seventh.
Giménez’s homers ended Tampa Bay’s franchise-record streak of allowing three earned runs or fewer at 16 games.
Rasmussen (3-1) allowed three runs and four hits in six innings.
Hunter Bigge got five outs and Bryan Baker finished for his 11th save in 13 chances.
Aranda went 2 for 3 with a sacrifice fly and was hit by a pitch.
After Aranda opened the scoring with his sacrifice fly off Kevin Gausman in the first inning, Palacios made it 3-0 with a two-out, two-run single.
Taylor Walls hit an RBI triple in the second and Aranda added an RBI hit.
Simpson stole third and scored on a throwing error by catcher Brandon Valenzuela in the fourth. Aranda made it 7-3 with a leadoff homer in the fifth.
Gausman (2-3) allowed season-highs of 10 hits and seven runs (six earned), in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander struck out five, reaching 2,000 for his career by fanning Hunter Feduccia to begin the fourth.
Rays LHP Shane McClanahan (4-2, 2.60 ERA) is scheduled to start on Tuesday against Blue Jays LHP Patrick Corbin (1-1, 3.60).
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