TORONTO (AP) — Cedric Mullins, Victor Mesa Jr. and Nick Fortes hit solo homers, Nick Martinez pitched six innings of one-run ball and the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays beat the struggling Toronto Blue Jays 7-1 on Monday night.
Junior Caminero had three hits and an RBI, Yandy Díaz had two hits and scored twice, and Jonathan Aranda added an RBI single as the Rays snapped a five-game losing streak.
Tampa Bay has gone 5-1 against Toronto this season.
Martinez (9-2) gave up one run and six hits, all singles, and extended his unbeaten streak to seven starts.
Cam Booser worked a 1-2-3 seventh, Casey Legumina handled the eighth and Bryan Baker finished for the Rays.
The Blue Jays made three errors in losing for the fifth time in six games. They’ve scored two runs in the past three games, all losses.
Toronto was 39-39 after beating Houston on June 22. The defending AL champions have gone 7-15 since.
The Blue Jays dropped to 13-20 in series openers.
Toronto’s Dylan Cease, the AL All-Star starter last week, allowed five runs, three earned, and seven hits in six innings. Cease (6-5) walked one and struck out seven in his first defeat since June 27, against Texas.
Mesa hit a one-out homer off Cease in the fourth, his eighth. Mullins added a leadoff homer in the sixth, his 12th.
Fortes capped the scoring with a leadoff homer against Brendon Little in the ninth, his third.
Caminero had two doubles and an RBI single among his three hits. He also reached on an intentional walk in the ninth.
Up next
Rays RHP Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 3.26 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman (4-8, 4.33).
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