ST. PETERSBURG -- The Blue Jays bailed out their bullpen by getting to the Rays' 'pen, and Toronto won its series opener against Tampa Bay, 8-5, on Friday night at Tropicana Field.In a 5-5 game in the ninth inning, Steve Tolleson -- a late-game replacement for an injured Munenori Kawasaki -- blooped the tiebreaking two-run single down the right-field line off Grant Balfour. Two batters later, Jose Bautista added a bloop RBI single of his own. 
Toronto, which won for just the second time in its past eight games, has scored 19 runs in its last three games after only scoring six runs in its previous five. The Rays have lost two in a row and gave up three runs in the ninth for the second straight night.The Blue Jays' offensive outburst in the ninth inning made up for reliever Dustin McGowan's shaky seventh, when he coughed up a three-run lead in a span of three batters. McGowan entered the game with two outs, nobody on and a 5-2 lead. He walked Evan Longoria and James Loney, and Sean Rodriguez crushed a slider deep into the left-field seats to tie the game.McGowan wasted the effort of quick-working Mark Buehrle, who got the better of methodical Chris Archer over five innings.The veteran left-hander -- who pitches at the fastest pace in the Major Leagues, compared to Archer, baseball's third-slowest pitcher -- allowed nine hits in five innings, but held the Rays to just two runs.In the first inning, Buehrle found himself in a bases-loaded, no-out jam after giving up three straight singles to start the game. But he got out of it after only a Longoria sacrifice fly when Loney bounced into an inning-ending double play.Buehrle gave up the second run in the fourth after three straight two-out hits, the last an RBI single down the left-field line by Ben Zobrist. Five of the Rays' hits against Buehrle came with two outs.Toronto, meanwhile, managed five runs on six hits off of Archer in his five innings of work. The Blue Jays looked lost against Archer in the first two innings, striking out five times against the young right-hander, but they touched up Archer for three runs in the third and two more in the fourth.The Blue Jays pounded out four hits in the third, and when they loaded the bases, they got three runs where the Rays had only gotten one -- on singles by Kawasaki and Melky Cabrera and a sac fly by Bautista. In the fourth, they added two more runs on Jose Reyes' two-out, two-run single.David Adler / MLB.com
Toronto, which won for just the second time in its past eight games, has scored 19 runs in its last three games after only scoring six runs in its previous five. The Rays have lost two in a row and gave up three runs in the ninth for the second straight night.The Blue Jays' offensive outburst in the ninth inning made up for reliever Dustin McGowan's shaky seventh, when he coughed up a three-run lead in a span of three batters. McGowan entered the game with two outs, nobody on and a 5-2 lead. He walked Evan Longoria and James Loney, and Sean Rodriguez crushed a slider deep into the left-field seats to tie the game.McGowan wasted the effort of quick-working Mark Buehrle, who got the better of methodical Chris Archer over five innings.The veteran left-hander -- who pitches at the fastest pace in the Major Leagues, compared to Archer, baseball's third-slowest pitcher -- allowed nine hits in five innings, but held the Rays to just two runs.In the first inning, Buehrle found himself in a bases-loaded, no-out jam after giving up three straight singles to start the game. But he got out of it after only a Longoria sacrifice fly when Loney bounced into an inning-ending double play.Buehrle gave up the second run in the fourth after three straight two-out hits, the last an RBI single down the left-field line by Ben Zobrist. Five of the Rays' hits against Buehrle came with two outs.Toronto, meanwhile, managed five runs on six hits off of Archer in his five innings of work. The Blue Jays looked lost against Archer in the first two innings, striking out five times against the young right-hander, but they touched up Archer for three runs in the third and two more in the fourth.The Blue Jays pounded out four hits in the third, and when they loaded the bases, they got three runs where the Rays had only gotten one -- on singles by Kawasaki and Melky Cabrera and a sac fly by Bautista. In the fourth, they added two more runs on Jose Reyes' two-out, two-run single.David Adler / MLB.com
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