TORONTO — Brandon Lowe had a two-run homer in the first and the ninth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays routed the Toronto Blue Jays 8-3 Thursday afternoon.
They were Lowe's sixth and seventh home runs of the season. He has 24 runs batted in this year.
Kameron Misner and Josh Lowe hit home runs in the fourth and fifth innings respectively for Tampa Bay (20-23). Former Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen had an RBI single in the second and Chandler Simpson drove in another run in the sixth.
Zack Littell (3-5) allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk, fanning two, over 7 1/3 innings. Relievers Manuel Rodriguez and Cole Sulser preserved the win.
Addison Barger, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Nathan Lukes each had a solo home run as Toronto (21-22) lost two of three games against the Rays.
Kevin Gausman (3-4) gave up six runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings, but struck out six. Mason Fluharty, Braydon Fisher and Jose Urena came on in relief, with Urena giving up Brandon Lowe's second two-run homer.
Takeaways
Rays: Tampa Bay's offence was relentless, racking up 14 hits, reaching base by contact in seven innings. The Rays' speed was apparent on the basepaths and in the field too, with Misner making several impressive catches in centre.
Blue Jays: It was the most home runs Gausman had given up in a game all season and first dinger he'd allowed since April 15 when he allowed two homers in a 6-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. His earned-run average rose from 3.97 to 4.59 with the outing. It matched the most homers he gave up in a single game last season, when he allowed three in a 7-2 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on June 3.
Key moment
Gausman's 92.6 m.p.h. four-seam fastball to Brandon Lowe in the first inning — just the sixth pitch of the game — was launched 399 feet to right-centre field. It gave Tampa a lead it would never relinquish.
Key stat
Rogers Centre was open for the first time in 2025, with 22,856 fans enjoying 13 C weather on a clear day.
Up next
Bowden Francis (2-5) gets the start as Toronto continues its homestand with a series against the Detroit Tigers.
Jack Flaherty (1-5) will take the mound for the Tigers (29-15).
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2025.
John Chidley-Hill, The Canadian Press
