TORONTO -- After Jake Odorizzi gave the Tampa Bay Rays eight impressive innings, a pivotal double play in the ninth made sure his efforts didn't go to waste.
Odorizzi earned his second win and the Rays scored on consecutive bases-loaded walks issued by R.A. Dickey to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 Monday night, Tampa Bay's third straight victory.
"It's great right now to get that roll going," Odorizzi said.
The Rays improved to 3-10 all-time in opponent's home openers, sending a sellout crowd of 48,414 home unhappy.
Waving rally towels, the crowd briefly came alive after Jose Bautista walked to begin the ninth, but quieted down quickly when Bautista was thrown out trying to steal second as Edwin Encarnacion struck out swinging on a full-count pitch.
"Unbelievable play," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "That might have been as big a play as we've had so far this season."
Josh Donaldson followed by flying out to the warning track in right for the final out.
"In this stadium you never know with a ball going in the air," said Rays closer Brad Boxberger, who posted his third save.
Odorizzi, who allowed one run and two hits, is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays. The right-hander set down the final eight batters he faced.
"I can't say enough," Cash said. "They had some opportunities and put us in a bind a little bit but he just really stepped it up."
After Desmond Jennings and Allan Dykstra singled to begin the fourth, Dickey (0-1) retired the next two batters but then walked three in a row, including 3-2 passes to David DeJesus and Steven Souza.
"They did a good job of laying off some really close pitches and I didn't make the big pitch when I had to," Dickey said.
They were the fifth and sixth bases loaded walks for the Rays this season. Entering play Monday, the 29 other major league teams had combined for eight.
Odorizzi held Toronto hitless through the first 4 2/3 innings before Kevin Pillar doubled on a shallow flyball that bounced past a diving Souza in right. Devon Travis followed with an RBI single.
It was the first run allowed this season by Odorizzi, who pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings in an April 8 victory over Baltimore.
Odorizzi issued two-out walks to Bautista and Encarnacion in the first, with both runners advancing on a wild pitch. Donaldson struck out looking to end the threat.
That was the first of 12 straight outs for Odorizzi, who didn't allow another baserunner until Pillar's double.
Dickey allowed two runs and three hits in six innings, walked five and struck out six. The knuckleballer hadn't walked five since an April 17 loss at Minnesota last season. He walked five or more twice in 34 starts in 2014.
TURF TALK
Reviews were mixed on Toronto's new artificial turf surface, which plays much slower than the one it replaced. "It appeared as if the ball was never getting to you," Cash said. When Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera fielded a grounder in the third, he ended up with a piece of rubber fill in his eye and needed attention from the trainer. On the plus side, the new turf has no shortage of cushion. "Feels good on my feet," Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey said. "Definitely softer."
ALL STAR HOSTS AGAIN?
Commissioner Rob Manfred was on hand for Toronto's opener, and he said beforehand that the Blue Jays could be in line to host the All-Star game for the first time since 1991. "There's no reason why Toronto couldn't be competitive bidder for an All-Star game in the fairly near future," Manfred said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: LH Drew Smyly (left shoulder) will make his second rehab appearance at Class-A Charlotte on Tuesday. ... LH Jake McGee (elbow surgery) threw 30 pitches of live batting practice at extended spring training Monday.
Blue Jays: OF Michael Saunders (left knee) got the day off after feeling soreness in his right hamstring during Sunday's rehab game at Class-A Dunedin. Saunders is expected to DH on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Rays RH Matt Andriese makes his first career start against Toronto on Tuesday. Andriese will be the 25th different pitcher to start for the Rays since 2008, the fewest in baseball over that span. He's Tampa Bay's fourth rookie starter in the first eight games of the season. The Blue Jays counter with LH rookie Daniel Norris (1-0, 4.76).
Odorizzi earned his second win and the Rays scored on consecutive bases-loaded walks issued by R.A. Dickey to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 Monday night, Tampa Bay's third straight victory.
"It's great right now to get that roll going," Odorizzi said.
The Rays improved to 3-10 all-time in opponent's home openers, sending a sellout crowd of 48,414 home unhappy.
Waving rally towels, the crowd briefly came alive after Jose Bautista walked to begin the ninth, but quieted down quickly when Bautista was thrown out trying to steal second as Edwin Encarnacion struck out swinging on a full-count pitch.
"Unbelievable play," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "That might have been as big a play as we've had so far this season."
Josh Donaldson followed by flying out to the warning track in right for the final out.
"In this stadium you never know with a ball going in the air," said Rays closer Brad Boxberger, who posted his third save.
Odorizzi, who allowed one run and two hits, is 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA in four career starts against the Blue Jays. The right-hander set down the final eight batters he faced.
"I can't say enough," Cash said. "They had some opportunities and put us in a bind a little bit but he just really stepped it up."
After Desmond Jennings and Allan Dykstra singled to begin the fourth, Dickey (0-1) retired the next two batters but then walked three in a row, including 3-2 passes to David DeJesus and Steven Souza.
"They did a good job of laying off some really close pitches and I didn't make the big pitch when I had to," Dickey said.
They were the fifth and sixth bases loaded walks for the Rays this season. Entering play Monday, the 29 other major league teams had combined for eight.
Odorizzi held Toronto hitless through the first 4 2/3 innings before Kevin Pillar doubled on a shallow flyball that bounced past a diving Souza in right. Devon Travis followed with an RBI single.
It was the first run allowed this season by Odorizzi, who pitched 6 2/3 scoreless innings in an April 8 victory over Baltimore.
Odorizzi issued two-out walks to Bautista and Encarnacion in the first, with both runners advancing on a wild pitch. Donaldson struck out looking to end the threat.
That was the first of 12 straight outs for Odorizzi, who didn't allow another baserunner until Pillar's double.
Dickey allowed two runs and three hits in six innings, walked five and struck out six. The knuckleballer hadn't walked five since an April 17 loss at Minnesota last season. He walked five or more twice in 34 starts in 2014.
TURF TALK
Reviews were mixed on Toronto's new artificial turf surface, which plays much slower than the one it replaced. "It appeared as if the ball was never getting to you," Cash said. When Rays shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera fielded a grounder in the third, he ended up with a piece of rubber fill in his eye and needed attention from the trainer. On the plus side, the new turf has no shortage of cushion. "Feels good on my feet," Blue Jays outfielder Dalton Pompey said. "Definitely softer."
ALL STAR HOSTS AGAIN?
Commissioner Rob Manfred was on hand for Toronto's opener, and he said beforehand that the Blue Jays could be in line to host the All-Star game for the first time since 1991. "There's no reason why Toronto couldn't be competitive bidder for an All-Star game in the fairly near future," Manfred said.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Rays: LH Drew Smyly (left shoulder) will make his second rehab appearance at Class-A Charlotte on Tuesday. ... LH Jake McGee (elbow surgery) threw 30 pitches of live batting practice at extended spring training Monday.
Blue Jays: OF Michael Saunders (left knee) got the day off after feeling soreness in his right hamstring during Sunday's rehab game at Class-A Dunedin. Saunders is expected to DH on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
Rays RH Matt Andriese makes his first career start against Toronto on Tuesday. Andriese will be the 25th different pitcher to start for the Rays since 2008, the fewest in baseball over that span. He's Tampa Bay's fourth rookie starter in the first eight games of the season. The Blue Jays counter with LH rookie Daniel Norris (1-0, 4.76).
7:07PM,EDT,April 13,2015
Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
| View: Play-By-Play | Pitch-By-Pitch | Inning: All | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| Tampa Bay - Top of 1st | SCORE | |
|---|---|---|
| R.A. Dickey pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| DeJesus flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Souza Jr. struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 1st | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Reyes flied out to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Pompey grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Bautista walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Encarnación walked, Bautista to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Bautista to third, Encarnación to second on wild pitch by Odorizzi. | 0 | 0 |
| Donaldson struck out looking. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 2nd | SCORE | |
| R.A. Dickey pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Longoria struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Jennings walked. | 0 | 0 |
| Dykstra flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| Rivera hit by pitch, Jennings to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Jennings stole third. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 2nd | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Smoak flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Martin grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Pillar grounded out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 3rd | SCORE | |
| R.A. Dickey pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Beckham grounded out to third. | 0 | 0 |
| DeJesus popped out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Souza Jr. reached on infield single to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Cabrera walked, Souza Jr. to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Souza Jr. to third, Cabrera to second on balk by Dickey. | 0 | 0 |
| Longoria flied out to right. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 1 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 3rd | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Travis grounded out to shortstop. | 0 | 0 |
| Reyes popped out to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Pompey grounded out to first. | 0 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 4th | SCORE | |
| R.A. Dickey pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Jennings singled to left. | 0 | 0 |
| Dykstra singled to center, Jennings to second. | 0 | 0 |
| Rivera flied out to center. | 0 | 0 |
| Kiermaier struck out swinging. | 0 | 0 |
| Jennings stole third. | 0 | 0 |
| Beckham walked, Dykstra to second. | 0 | 0 |
| DeJesus walked, Jennings scored, Dykstra to third, Beckham to second. | 1 | 0 |
| Souza Jr. walked, Dykstra scored, Beckham to third, DeJesus to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Cabrera flied out to center. | 2 | 0 |
| 2 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 4th | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Bautista lined out to third. | 2 | 0 |
| Encarnación grounded out to second. | 2 | 0 |
| Donaldson flied out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 5th | SCORE | |
| R.A. Dickey pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Longoria grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 0 |
| Jennings struck out swinging. | 2 | 0 |
| Dykstra lined out to right. | 2 | 0 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 5th | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Smoak grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 0 |
| Martin grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 0 |
| Pillar doubled to right. | 2 | 0 |
| Travis singled to right, Pillar scored. | 2 | 1 |
| Reyes struck out swinging. | 2 | 1 |
| 1 Runs, 2 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 6th | SCORE | |
| R.A. Dickey pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Rivera grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 1 |
| Kiermaier flied out to center. | 2 | 1 |
| Beckham struck out swinging. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 6th | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Pompey struck out swinging. | 2 | 1 |
| Bautista walked. | 2 | 1 |
| Encarnación grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Bautista out at second. | 2 | 1 |
| Donaldson lined out to second. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 7th | SCORE | |
| Roberto Osuna pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Osuna relieved Dickey. | 2 | 1 |
| DeJesus flied out to left. | 2 | 1 |
| Souza Jr. flied out to right. | 2 | 1 |
| Cabrera lined out to center. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 7th | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Smoak grounded out to first. | 2 | 1 |
| Martin flied out to right. | 2 | 1 |
| Pillar flied out to right. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 8th | SCORE | |
| Roberto Osuna pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Longoria flied out to center. | 2 | 1 |
| Jennings struck out looking. | 2 | 1 |
| Dykstra walked. | 2 | 1 |
| Forsythe ran for Dykstra. | 2 | 1 |
| Rivera grounded into fielder's choice to shortstop, Forsythe out at second. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 8th | SCORE | |
| Jake Odorizzi pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Forsythe at first base. | 2 | 1 |
| Travis grounded out to catcher. | 2 | 1 |
| Reyes grounded out to second. | 2 | 1 |
| Pompey grounded out to shortstop. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay - Top of 9th | SCORE | |
| Aaron Loup pitching for Toronto | TB | TOR |
| Loup relieved Osuna. | 2 | 1 |
| Guyer hit for Kiermaier. | 2 | 1 |
| Guyer lined out to center. | 2 | 1 |
| Beckham struck out looking. | 2 | 1 |
| Mahtook hit for DeJesus. | 2 | 1 |
| Mahtook flied out to right. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Toronto - Bottom of 9th | SCORE | |
| Brad Boxberger pitching for Tampa Bay | TB | TOR |
| Jennings in center field. | 2 | 1 |
| Guyer in left field. | 2 | 1 |
| Boxberger relieved Odorizzi. | 2 | 1 |
| Bautista walked. | 2 | 1 |
| Encarnación struck out swinging. Bautista caught stealing second, catcher to second. | 2 | 1 |
| Donaldson flied out to right. | 2 | 1 |
| 0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors | ||
| Tampa Bay Rays | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitters | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | #P | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| DeJesus DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 15 | .429 | .467 | .714 |
a-Mahtook PH-DH
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Souza Jr. RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | .158 | .333 | .158 |
| Cabrera SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 16 | .286 | .333 | .393 |
| Longoria 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 12 | .200 | .333 | .440 |
| Jennings LF-CF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14 | .240 | .367 | .240 |
| Dykstra 1B | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 17 | .083 | .267 | .083 |
Forsythe PR-1B
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .190 | .320 | .381 |
| Rivera C | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | .130 | .167 | .217 |
| Kiermaier CF | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 15 | .333 | .385 | .833 |
b-Guyer PH-LF
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .182 | .357 | .273 |
| Beckham 2B | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 16 | .286 | .333 | .643 |
| Totals | 30 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 143 | |||
| a-flied out to right for D Dejesus in the 9th b-lined out to center for K Kiermaier in the 9th | ||||||||||
| BATTING RBI: DeJesus (7), Souza Jr. (2) 2-out RBI: DeJesus, Souza Jr. Rays RISP: 0-5 (Kiermaier 0-2, Longoria 0-1, Rivera 0-1, Cabrera 0-1) Team LOB: 8 | ||||||||||
| BASERUNNING SB: Jennings 2 (3, 3rd base off Dickey/Martin 2) | ||||||||||
| FIELDING DP: 1 (Rivera-Beckham). | ||||||||||
Game Notes
| The game is underway after a 22 minute delay. |
Game Information
| Stadium | Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON |
| Attendance | 48,414 (98.2% full) - % is based on regular season capacity |
| Game Time | 2:30 |
| Weather | indoors |
| Umpires | Home Plate - Chris Guccione, First Base - Cory Blaser, Second Base - Jeff Nelson, Third Base - Laz Diaz |
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