Aranda homers as Rays squeeze past Blue Jays 3-2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jonathan Aranda homered for the second consecutive game, helping Taj Bradley and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 on Saturday.

Aranda connected for a two-run shot in the third inning against Yariel Rodríguez (1-7), giving Tampa Bay a 3-0 lead. He also went deep in a 1-0 victory over Toronto on Friday night. Five of Aranda's nine career homers have come against the Blue Jays.

“I get excited about him, man,” Bradley said, “When I played with him in triple-A, you give him enough playing time he's going to go on a run. He's doing it now.”

Bradley (7-11) pitched five innings of one-run ball in his first win since July 25. The right-hander, who struck out four and walked two, was 0-7 with a 7.88 ERA in his previous nine starts.

“I was really proud that he got through the fifth inning,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said after Bradley threw 103 pitches, 67 for strikes. “That’s a lot of pitches through five innings."

Drew Rasmussen struck out three over two perfect innings to get his first save.

Rodríguez gave up four hits and walked three in four innings. He also struck out three in his 20th start in his first season in the majors.

The Cuban right-hander agreed to a $32 million, five-year deal in February.

“I think it’s been a successful year for him in terms of routines, innings and understanding how this whole thing works out at the big-league level,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “It’s been cool to watch. There’s still a long way to go but the innings he has gotten in have been huge for him.”

The Blue Jays threatened in each of the first three innings but failed to score. They went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position after they went 0-for-7 in those situations on Friday.

Alejandro Kirk extended his career-high hitting streak to 14 games with an RBI triple in the seventh for Toronto. It was the catcher’s first career three-base hit.

Kirk got the ball he hit for the triple.

The Blue Jays scored their first run on Spencer Horwitz’s infield single in front of home plate in the fifth.

Ben Rortvedt had six hits in his previous 63 at-bats (. 095) before putting the Rays ahead 1-0 on a second-inning RBI single.

Toronto's Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 3-for-5 and is hitting .324. The third baseman overran Yandy Díaz's pop-up infield single in the seventh, but the Rays' leadoff hitter was left stranded at first base.

Guerrero has 20 three-hit games this season.

UP NEXT

Rays RHP Shane Baz (3-3. 3.21 ERA) starts Sunday against Toronto. Baz has gone five or more innings and allowed three hits or fewer in a team-record five consecutive starts.

The Blue Jays have not announced their starter, but former Rays LHP Ryan Yarbrough (5-2, 3.36 ERA) could get the call.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Mark Didtler, The Associated Press