Jays beat Rays to knot season-ending series

Teoscar Hernandez homered, right-hander Trent Thornton struck out eight in five scoreless innings, and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the visiting Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 Saturday afternoon. The Rays (96-65) already had clinched an American League wild-card berth with their win over the Blue Jays (66-95) on Friday, but Saturday's loss, combined with the Oakland Athletics' win over Seattle on Saturday night, means the Rays will have to travel to Oakland for the AL wild-card game Wednesday.

The Rays and Blue Jays have split the first two games of the three-game series. The Rays lead the season series 13-5. Thornton (6-9) allowed one hit and four walks, and Ken Giles pitched a perfect ninth with one strikeout for his 23rd save.

Matt Duffy homered for the Rays. Tampa Bay starter Ryan Yarbrough (11-6) allowed three runs, five hits, two walks (one intentional) and hit a batter in five innings. The left-hander struck out three.

Hernandez led off the bottom of the first with his 25th home run of the season. Cavan Biggio followed with a single and scored on Randal Grichuk's triple. Rowdy Tellez singled to make the score 3-0. Biggio has reached base safely in 28 consecutive games, a club record for a rookie. Russ Adams reached base in 27 straight games in 2005.

The Blue Jays loaded the bases in the fourth on a double, a hit batter and an intentional walk, but Yarbrough finished the inning by getting Richard Urena to hit a fielder's choice grounder to shortstop. Jason Adam replaced Thornton in the sixth and pitched around a leadoff walk to Tommy Pham.

Sam Gaviglio allowed Duffy's first homer of the season to lead off the seventh. Toronto's Buddy Boshers struck out the final batter of the seventh and the first batter of the eighth before Derek Law replaced him and pitched around a single.

In the bottom of the seventh facing the Rays' Diego Castillo, Danny Jansen singled with one out and scored on Urena's double. After Hernandez walked, Jalen Beeks took over and hit Biggio with a pitch to load the bases before ending the inning with a strikeout and a groundout. 

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