Turner breaks tie, Guerrero homers for 5th time in 6 games in Blue Jays 6-3 win over Rays

TORONTO – Justin Turner homered in the eighth inning, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered for the fifth time in six games and the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on Wednesday night.

Turner went 3-for-4 with three singles for his sixth three-hit game of the season. His line drive hit right-hander Jason Adam (4-2) in the eighth, scored George Springer from second base and sparked a four-run rally.

“Things kind of unfolded from there,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Daulton Varsho followed with an RBI single, and Turner scored on a ball passed by catcher Ben Rortvedt.

Alejandro Kirk followed with a high jumper, but the ball hit the glove of Rays shortstop Taylor Walls and fell on 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 last 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 at-bat he feels so dangerous,” Schneider said. “He’s starting to understand how to narrow his focus to arguments he can really hammer home.”

Varsho added his third highlight catch in the last three games, leaping against the left field wall to remove José Caballero for the bottom of the fifth and leaving a runner at third.

Left-hander Génesis Cabrera (3-2) worked an inning for the win. Yimi García finished for the Blue Jays.

Guerrero scored Spencer Horwitz’s double on a single off Rays right-hander Zach Eflin in the first inning, and doubled Toronto’s lead with a two-out home run in the third, his 18th.

“I’m very passive right now,” Guerrero said – through a translator – of his current approach. “I’m feeling really calm at the plate and then hitting the pitches I’m looking for. I think that’s the biggest difference between now and then.”

Tampa Bay cut the deficit in half in the fifth when Randy Arozarena led off with a double and scored on Josh Lowe’s single.

Blue Jays right-hander Yariel Rodríguez left with two outs and a runner on first in the sixth. Left-hander Brendon Little came up 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 is unknown when the reigning AL batting champion will return to the lineup.

NEXT

RHP Chris Bassitt (8-8, 3.71 ERA) was scheduled to start in Toronto against RHP Taj Bradley (5-4, 2.63) on Thursday in the series finale.

___

APMLB: