Bichette homers as Blue Jays blank Rays

Jacob Waguespack pitched six strong innings, Bo Bichette homered, and the visiting Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 2-0 on Monday night. The Blue Jays ended the Rays' six-game winning streak and beat them for only the third time in 10 games this season in taking the opener of a three-game series.

Waguespack (3-1) allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four. Derek Law, who got the final out of the eighth, pitched a perfect ninth for his second save.

Rays starter Charlie Morton (12-4) allowed two runs and seven hits while striking out nine in seven innings. Bichette led off the game with a double and scored on Cavan Biggio's single. Bichette has hit in each of his first eight career major-league games, matching the club record.

Waguespack pitched around errors by third baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and shortstop Bichette in the second. Bichette led off the third inning with his third home run and his ninth extra-base hit. The Rays opened the fifth with singles by Michael Brosseau and former Blue Jay Eric Sogard, but the threat ended when Willy Adames grounded into an inning-ending double play. Waguespack pitched around a leadoff walk and a two-out single in the sixth inning.

After Morton pitched allowed two singles to open the fourth, he retired 12 batters in a row. Justin Shafer replaced Waguespack in the seventh. Brosseau reached first base on Bichette's second error of the game and pinch hitter Travis d'Arnaud singled. Catcher Reese McGuire picked off Brosseau at second, Adames walked, and Ji-Man Choi grounded out to end the inning.

Tampa Bay's Austin Pruitt tossed a perfect eighth and pitched around two singles in the ninth. Tim Mayza replaced Shafer with one out in the bottom of the eighth and retired his only batter before Law finished the inning. The Rays put right-hander Yonny Chirinos on the injured list Monday with inflammation of his right middle finger. The Blue Jays returned right-hander Yennsy Diaz to Double-A New Hampshire on Monday and called up right-hander Brock Stewart from Triple-A Buffalo.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)