TORONTO (AP) — Justin Turner hit a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered for the fifth time in six games and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on Wednesday night.
Turner went 3 for 4 with three singles in his sixth three-hit game of the season. His line drive hit off right-hander Jason Adam (4-2) in the eighth scored George Springer from second base and sparked a four-run rally.
“It kind of unraveled from there,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Daulton Varsho followed with an RBI single, and Turner scored on a passed ball by catcher Ben Rortvedt.
Alejandro Kirk followed with a high pop up but the ball hit off the glove of Rays shortstop Taylor Walls and dropped for an error, allowing Varsho to score.
The Blue Jays are 38-6 when they score five or more.
Guerrero is batting .351 with nine doubles, 10 home runs and 31 RBIs in his past 24 games.
“I think we all know what he’s doing right now,” said Cash, who intentionally walked Guerrero in the eighth.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Guerrero’s recent success is the result of being more selective at the plate.
“Every single at-bat he just feels so dangerous,” Schneider said. ”He’s starting to understand to narrow his focus into pitches that he can really hammer.”
Varsho added his third highlight reel catch in the past three games, leaping against the left field wall to retire José Caballero for the final out of the fifth and stranding a runner at third.
Left-hander Génesis Cabrera (3-2) worked one inning for the victory. Yimi García finished for the Blue Jays.
Guerrero drove in Spencer Horwitz’s double with a single off Rays right-hander Zach Eflin in the first inning, and doubled Toronto’s lead with a two-out homer in the third, his 18th.
“I’m very passive right now,” Guerrero said — through a translator — about his current approach. “I’m feeling very calm at the plate, and then hitting the pitches I’m looking for. I think that’s the biggest difference between now and before.”
Tampa Bay halved the deficit in the fifth when Randy Arozarena led off with a double and scored on Josh Lowe’s single.
Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodríguez exited with two outs and a runner at first in the sixth. Left-hander Brendon Little came on and walked Brandon Lowe before Arozarena tied it with an RBI single.
Rodríguez allowed two runs and two hits. He walked one and struck out six.
Eflin allowed two runs and six hits in 5 2/3 innings.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays INF Yandy Díaz remains away from the team for personal reasons. It’s not known when the reigning AL batting champ will return to the lineup.
UP NEXT
RHP Chris Bassitt (8-8, 3.71 ERA) was scheduled to start for Toronto against RHP Taj Bradley (5-4, 2.63) on Thursday in the series finale.
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