Follow Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter VI Mobile College Basketball March Mayhem Picks College Basketball March Mayhem Picks VegasInsider.com VegasInsider.com
Handicapper Bios Sports Picks Free Odds Contests Sportsbook
Sports Betting Home NFL NBANHLMLBNCAA FBNCAA BKGolfAutoHorsesBoxingVI More Sports
 
MLB Scores Matchups Teams Standings
 
 · Regular Season
Schedules Injuries News
 
 · Latest News
 · Player Updates
 · Transactions
Buy Picks Vegas Odds
 
 · Vegas Odds
 · Offshore Odds
 · Future Odds
 
Recap: Blue Jays , Rays
 •  BT Movements
Game: 1
Venue: Tropicana Field
Date: September 23, 2011 7:10 PM EDT
  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - Brandon Morrow is ending the season in grand fashion.

Morrow pitched seven scoreless innings and the Toronto Blue Jays further dampened Tampa Bay's playoff hopes, beating David Price and the Rays 5-1 Friday night.

``His conviction to each pitch, his aggressiveness was outstanding,' Toronto manager John Farrell said. ``He was powerful. For the most part he pitched ahead in the count, and when he does that with that type of stuff, he can be dominant.'

Advertisement

A night after pounding out 17 hits in a 15-8 road romp at Yankee Stadium, the Rays were limited to Matt Joyce's second-inning infield single until Casey Kotchman singled with one out in the seventh off Morrow (11-11).

``They didn't look comfortable up there hitting,' Blue Jays second baseman Kelly Johnson said. ``He throws so hard. He's one of the tougher ones to hit.'

Morrow allowed two hits, walked four and struck out nine as Toronto played spoiler for the second straight night. Edwin Encarnacion's 12th-inning walk-off homer at home beat Los Angeles 4-3, dropping the Angels three games behind Boston in the wild-card race.

``It's fun to win, no matter what,' Johnson said. ``We're playing against a lot of teams that are desperate to win and we're doing all right. It's definitely encouraging.'

Toronto has won 10 of its last 15 games.

Morrow was coming off an eight-inning shutout performance in a 3-0 victory over the New York Yankees last Sunday.

``Last time was a good way to start it and I kept it going this time ... Being aggressive,' Morrow said.

Johnson homered and drove in two runs for the Blue Jays. He led off the sixth with a home run that drew a smattering of boos from a crowd of just 18,093 at half-filled Tropicana Field.

``Regardless of who we're playing, we're trying to win as many games as possible,' Farrell said.

Johnson also had a RBI single in the third off Price (12-13). Eric Thames hit an RBI single in the fifth.

Joel Carreno and Luis Perez each pitched an inning to finish a combined three-hitter for Toronto. The Rays didn't get a runner past second base until the ninth, when Johnny Damon walked and wound up scoring from third on Joyce's two-out single.

Morrow had six strikeouts and threw 48 pitches through two. The right-hander made just 65 pitches over the next five innings.

``With the position they were in, they were being really aggressive and I think they helped me out on a couple (at_bats),' Morrow said.

Morrow induced his first grounded into a double play in 173 1-3 innings, dating to Aug. 28, 2010, when he got an inning-ending grounder from Desmond Jennings in the fifth.

``And it came against one of the fastest guys in the league,' Johnson said.

The Blue Jays scored three runs in the third, two on Price's second throwing error of the inning. The All-Star lefty came off the mound to field Thames' high chopper with the bases loaded but his throw to the plate for a forceout sailed and skipped off the glove of leaping catcher Kelly Shoppach.

Toronto made it 3-0 on Johnson's two-out, broken-bat single, but wound up costing themselves a run on the play when Jose Bautista overran second base and was thrown out by center fielder B.J. Upton - an instant before Thames crossed the plate for what would have been a fourth run in the inning.

The way the Rays were swinging the bats, it didn't matter.

Price gave up five runs - two earned - and five hits in six innings. He walked two and struck out seven.

The Rays have lost four of five and dropped 2 1/2 games behind Boston in the AL wild-card race. The Red Sox were rained out at New York.

``It's big blow,' Price said.

NOTES: Johnson is 8 for 19 with four RBIs over his last five games. ... Blue Jays 1B Adam Lind left the team Friday to fly home to Toronto for the birth of his child. ... Toronto LHP Ricky Romero (15-10), Saturday's scheduled starter, is 8-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 13 starts since the All-Star break. ... Farrell said it's unlikely that INF Yunel Escobar (left elbow) will play again this season if he can't take batting practice on Sunday. ... Former supermodel Cheryl Tiegs threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2013
The Associated Press
All Rights Reserved

 SERIES AT A GLANCE
GAME 1
Blue Jays at Rays
Fri, Sep 23 Final 5 to 1
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 2
Blue Jays at Rays
Sat, Sep 24 Final 2 to 6
 Boxscores  •  Recaps
GAME 3
Blue Jays at Rays
Sun, Sep 25 Final 2 to 5
 Boxscores  •  Recaps

 BETTING TRENDS
 Team  ML   RUN   O/U 
 TOR  17%   1%   56% 
 TAM  83%   99%   44% 
BT MOVEMENTS

 MLB HEAD TO HEAD
 Aug 28, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  TAM « 12 Cover: +100 
  TOR 0 Over: 12 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Aug 3, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  TOR 1 Over: 10 
  TAM « 9 Cover: +100 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 May 19, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  TAM 2 Under: 5 
  TOR « 3 Cover: +100 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 May 4, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  TOR « 3 Cover: +112 
  TAM 2 Under: 5 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps
 Apr 22, 2011  Score  ATS Results 
  TAM 4 Over: 10 
  TOR « 6 Cover: +100 
 Tools:   Boxscores  •  Recaps

 
 
  
GOLD Membership
Over 150 Member Plays free each month. Signup Today!
 
 

NFL
NFL Sports Picks
NFL Vegas Odds
NFL Online Odds
NFL Matchups
NFL Scores

More Sports
Golf
Auto Racing
Horse Racing
Boxing
WNBA

MLB
MLB Sports Picks
MLB Vegas Odds
MLB Online Odds
MLB Matchups
MLB Scores

Features
Free Odds
Contests
Newsletters
VI Radio
Las Vegas Travel
Follow us on Twitter
Add us on Google+
Join us on Facebook

NBA
NBA Sports Picks
NBA Vegas Odds
NBA Online Odds
NBA Matchups
NBA Scores

Sports Betting Tools
Live Odds
Mobile Odds
Parlay Calculator
Gaming Terms
TV Listings
Handicapping Records
Sports Betting
About Sports Betting
Sportsbook Reviews

NHL
NHL Sports Picks
NHL Vegas Odds
NHL Online Odds
NHL Matchups
NHL Scores

VegasInsider Info
About Us
Help Center
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use
Refund Policy
Contact Us
User Feedback

College Football
NCAA FB Sports Picks
NCAA FB Vegas Odds
NCAA FB Online Odds
NCAA FB Matchups
NCAA FB Scores

Sportsbooks
CarbonSports · Review
SportBet · Review
Sportsbook · Review
TopBet.eu · Review

College Basketball
NCAA BK Sports Picks
NCAA BK Vegas Odds
NCAA BK Online Odds
NCAA BK Matchups
NCAA BK Scores

Rotation Schedules
Baseball: Mar 31 - June 02

Copyright © 1997-2013, VegasInsider.com Inc., The Global Leader In Sports Gaming Information. All rights reserved.
For questions or comments, please contact us at 1-800-211-4759.