By Canadian Press

Toronto Blue Jays rally for wild victory over Tampa Bay Rays in 12 innings

Jul 27, 2019 | 5:35 PM

TORONTO — Teoscar Hernandez crushed his second home run of the game in the bottom of the 12th inning to give the Toronto Blue Jays a wild 10-9 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

After falling behind 9-2, the Blue Jays’ comeback bid began in the eighth inning when Brandon Drury and Hernandez belted back-to-back homers.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the ninth inning with a double, and Randal Grichuk followed up with a walk. That set the table for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to smack a three-run shot that cleared the left-field wall for his 10th homer of the season.

Drury tied the game with a two-out solo shot to right-centre for the first multi-homer game of his career.

Hernandez ended it with a homer off Rays reliever Emilio Pagan (2-2). Daniel Hudson (6-2) picked up the win in relief for Toronto (40-66) as the Jays tied the three-game series at 1-1.

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Drury, who also had two singles, had a chance to win the game in the 11th. Cavan Biggio and pinch-hitter Justin Smoak each earned two-out walks, but Drury hit a ground ball to short for a force-out at second.

The Rays (59-48) snatched a 6-1 lead, sending 10 batters to the plate against Blue Jays starter Ryan Borucki in a six-run, six-hit second inning. The left-handed Borucki made his second start of the season after he was sidelined in the first half with inflammation in his throwing arm.

In his season against the Cleveland Indians, he made it through 4 2/3 innings before being lifted in a 7-3 loss on Monday. Against the Rays, however, he lasted only two innings. He was roughed up for eight hits and six runs and needed a double play to get out of a first-inning jam.

In the Rays’ productive second inning, Mike Brosseau led off with a double to right field, and he moved to third after Guillermo Heredia’s single to centre. The ninth hitter in Tampa Bay’s order, Willy Adames, cashed in his teammates with his 11th homer of the season.

Borucki then issued a two-out walk to Tommy Pham and a single to Austin Meadows to set up Travis d’Arnaud for his three-run blast. The former Blue Jays prospect has 12 homers since he joined Tampa Bay via a trade for cash considerations with the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 10.

The Blue Jays (40-66) scored a run in each of the first two innings. In the opening frame, Grichuk doubled to left-centre field to knock in Gurriel, who reached base on an infield hit.

Biggio clubbed his seventh homer of the season to right-centre in the second inning.

The Rays increased their lead by two in the third inning. Heredia and Adames knocked singles to centre off of Blue Jays reliever Sam Gaviglio. Leadoff hitter Matt Duffy singled home Heredia and Adames scored on Pham’s tapper to the pitcher.

Tampa Bay went up 9-2 in the sixth inning. D’Arnaud led off with a walk, and he advanced to third on Joey Wendle’s double to left field. D’Arnaud then scored on Heredia’s sacrifice fly to centre.

The Blue Jays scored in the bottom of the inning when Drury singled home Guerrero.

Rays right fielder Avisail Garcia left the game due to illness after he struck out in the fourth inning.

Andrew Kittredge started for the Rays, but he lasted only 48 pitches through three innings.

Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press