Pitching carries Rays past sliding Blue Jays

Griffin Jax pitched six effective innings Wednesday night and the visiting Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 to clinch the four-game series.

Jax (6-7) allowed one run, three hits and one walk with five strikeouts to help the Rays take their third win in a row to open the series.

Bryan Baker pitched a perfect ninth to earn his 26th save of the season.

Victor Mesa Jr. had two RBI singles for the Rays, who are 8-1 against the Blue Jays this season,

Alejandro Kirk hit a solo home run for the Blue Jays, who are 1-5 on their seven-game homestand.

Toronto scored once in the first. Nathan Lukes walked with one out, took third when Vladimir Guerrero Jr. snapped a 0-for-13 drought with a double off the right-field wall and scored on George Springer's groundout to first.

Tampa Bay tied the game in the second. Toronto opener Braydon Fisher walked Chandler Simpson with one out and was replaced by Spencer Miles. Simpson stole second and scored when Mesa grounded a single to center.

The Rays took a 4-1 advantage against Jeff Hoffman (5-7) and Mason Fluharty in the sixth. Yandy Diaz reached second base on an error when his fly to the warning track in center field bounced off the heel of Daulton Varsho's glove. Diaz took third on Junior Caminero's one-out single. Cedric Mullins was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Simpson slapped a sacrifice to center and Mesa flared an RBI single to left. Fluharty replaced Hoffman. The bases were loaded again on a bunt hit by Taylor Walls. Pinch hitter Ben Williamson walked to force in a run.

Kirk homered to left on Cam Booser's 1-2 cutter with one out in the home seventh.

Kevin Kelly replaced Booser with two outs and pitched a perfect 1 1/3 innings to set up the ninth for Baker.

Toronto recalled outfielder Yohendrick Pinango from Triple-A Buffalo and put Jonatan Clase on the injured list with left plantar fasciitis. Pinango was 1-for-2 on Wednesday.

--Field Level Media