Is Canada Poison for the Tampa Bay Rays? The Florida team suffered a second loss in 24 hours against the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, losing 5-2.
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Remember, the Rays set a major league record by winning their first 13 games of the season.
Japanese shooter Yusei Kikuchi (2-0) put in another convincing performance against the Rays to take the lead. In six career games against Tampa, he is 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA.
This time Kikuchi accumulated strikeouts. He frustrated nine opposing batsmen in six innings, conceding just four hits and a long ball hit by Taylor Walls.
The Jays started offensively in the fourth inning. Whit Merrifield and Danny Jansen added a run to the board by hitting a double and a single respectively.
Just like in Friday’s game, the Rays’ lack of discipline cost them. In the sixth period, assist Josh Fleming didn’t help his team’s cause by allowing a free pass when the bases were loaded.
Alejandro Kirk put the final nail in the Rays’ coffin, hitting a prolific single in the seventh inning.
Elsewhere, in his first major league start, Rays shooter Calvin Faucher was looking pretty good in two and two-thirds innings to the mound. He allowed two hits, a deserved run and a walk.
The Blue Jays could beat the top team in the major leagues at Rogers Center on Sunday.