TORONTO (AP) — Taj Bradley extended his scoreless streak to 23 innings in winning his fifth straight decision, Brandon Lowe homered into the upper deck and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 13-0 on Thursday.
Isaac Paredes had four RBIs and Alex Jackson drove in three as the Rays set a season high in runs and won for the 18th time in 30 games.
Lowe went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and walked twice, coming within a triple of the cycle. Amed Rosario had three hits for the Rays, who have won 13 straight when scoring four runs or more.
Bradley (6-4) allowed two hits in six innings, struck out seven and walked one, improving to 5-1 with a 0.82 ERA in his past nine starts.
“He’s put himself in an elite category this year,” Rays manager Kevin Cash. “I don’t know how many other pitchers have been on a run like that.”
The 23-year-old right-hander has not lost since June 8 against Baltimore.
“I’m just throwing all my pitches for strikes,” Bradley said. “I feel like you keep them guessing. They have a heater that they’re looking for, but then the other two pitches tunnel off of it really well.”
Bradley matched Ryan Yarbrough, Jake Odorizzi, and Alex Cobb as the only Rays pitchers to throw six or more shutout innings in three straight starts.
“Arguably the best pitcher in the league right now,” Lowe said of Bradley. “The last eight or nine starts, I don’t think there’s another pitcher that touches him.”
Edwin Uceta and Colin Poche finished with hitless relief in the Rays’ sixth shutout, the fourth against Toronto this season.
Infielder Ernie Clement pitched the ninth inning for the Blue Jays.
Spencer Horwitz doubled in the first inning and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached on an infield single, but Bradley responded by striking out Justin Turner and Daulton Varsho, the first two in a streak of 11 consecutive outs.
“Taj is having a great year and he didn’t make many mistakes,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said.
Lowe hit the 23rd upper deck home run since Toronto’s stadium opened in June 1989, a solo shot in the first off Chris Bassitt (8-9).
“His day just kind of rolled from there,” Cash said of Lowe.
It was the first upper deck home run in Toronto since Lowe and former Rays teammate Austin Meadows did it on April 12, 2019. Meadows and Lowe connected four batters apart off right-hander Trent Thornton that night, hitting nearly identical 436-foot drives.
Lowe joined Jose Canseco (three), Edwin Encarnacion (two) and Josh Phelps (two) as the only players to hit more than one upper deck homer in Toronto.
Lowe’s 414-foot home run Thursday was the shortest of the 23 to reach the fifth deck.
Paredes and Lowe hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the third.
Bassitt’s next pitch was an 86 mph changeup that hit Randy Arozarena on the batting helmet. Arozarena went down briefly but was not injured and flashed a thumbs up at Bassitt when the Blue Jays pitcher approached home plate.
“Bassitt, he’s a pro,” Cash said. “He went up there very apologetic and said ‘It got away from me.’”
Bassitt allowed three runs and five hits in five innings, his second straight losing start.
“We have to be grown ups and put forth a better effort,” Bassitt said.
Paredes and Jackson hit two-run singles off Trevor Richards as the Rays pulled away with a four-run sixth. Tampa Bay added five more in the seventh off righties Ryan Burr and Nate Pearson.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays INF Yandy Díaz remained away from the team for personal reasons.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Shane Baz (0-1, 3.95 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday against Cincinnati LHP Nick Lodolo (8-3, 3.51).
Blue Jays: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (4-9, 4.54 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday against Texas LHP Andrew Heaney (4-10, 3.60).
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
