Rays Beat Blue Jays as Aranda Powers 8-5 Victory
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By Doug Hirdle
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Summary:
- Jonathan Aranda homered and drove in three runs for the Tampa Bay Rays.
- Kevin Gausman allowed seven runs in the Toronto Blue Jays’ loss.
- Andrés Giménez hit the first multi-homer game of his MLB career.
The Tampa Bay Rays continued their strong run of form Monday night with an 8-5 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, powered by a big offensive performance from Jonathan Aranda.
Toronto Couldn’t Regroup
Aranda hit a solo home run in the fifth inning and finished with three RBIs as Tampa Bay improved to 27 and 13 on the season. The Rays jumped ahead early and never fully let Toronto back into the game.
Richie Palacios helped spark the fast start with a two-run double in the first inning after Aranda drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Tampa Bay added another run in the second when Taylor Walls delivered an RBI triple.
An unusual moment in the game came in the fourth inning when rookie speedster Chandler Simpson stole third base and scored after the throw skipped past third baseman Kazuma Okamoto.
Simpson finished the night 3 for 5 with two stolen bases, continuing his impressive baseball season at the plate.
On the mound, Drew Rasmussen earned the win after striking out six across six innings. He allowed three runs on four hits before Tampa Bay’s bullpen closed things out.
Giménez’s First Multi-Homer Game in Seven Years
Toronto’s biggest bright spot came from Andrés Giménez, who recorded the first multi-homer game of his seven-year MLB career. Giménez launched a three-run homer in the second inning and added another two-run shot in the seventh to keep the Blue Jays within reach.
However, it was a difficult night overall for veteran starter Kevin Gausman. The right-hander surrendered seven runs, six earned, over 4 2/3 innings in his roughest outing of the season. Despite the loss, Gausman still reached an important personal milestone by recording the 2,000th strikeout of his MLB career during the fourth inning.
The milestone moved him into 90th place on Major League Baseball’s all-time strikeout list, joining active stars such as Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Gerrit Cole, and Yu Darvish ahead of him.
The series continues Tuesday with Patrick Corbin set to start for Toronto against Tampa Bay ace Shane McClanahan.
