Soriano's blown save keeps Rays behind Yankees
TORONTO - Adam Lind thought he'd hit a game-winning home run. Then he wasn't so sure.
Turns out he was right the first time.
Lind hit a two-run drive off Rafael Soriano with none out in the ninth inning Sunday, giving the Blue Jays a 5-4 win over the Rays.
As the ball sailed toward the rightfield corner, Lind wasn't sure his low drive had enough to clear the fence.
"When I hit it, I thought it was a home run for sure," he said. "Then I saw the topspin start to take over, and I didn't think it was going to make it, but it did. I saw it barely clear the fence, and it was awesome."
With Toronto trailing 4-3, Aaron Hill led off the ninth with a single off Soriano (2-2), who had converted his previous 19 save chances since July 20. After falling behind in the count 0-and-2, Lind lined his 22nd home run of the season, ending the Blue Jays' losing streak at four games.
"He has been absolutely brilliant for us all year, and they got him today," Rays manager Joe Maddon said of Soriano.
Toronto leads the majors with 224 homers, including 128 at home. The Jays have connected in a season-high 14 straight games, hitting 29 homers in that stretch. "If you make a mistake, even with two strikes, it can go far," Maddon said.
Tampa Bay, which remained a half-game behind the AL East-leading Yankees, outhit the Blue Jays 8-5 but lost for the fifth time in eight games. It was the third blown save in 45 chances for Soriano.
B.J. Upton's sacrifice fly off Kevin Gregg (2-5) had put Tampa Bay ahead in the top of the ninth.
Soriano said he wasn't feeling 100 percent after sleeping poorly but said he never considered asking for the day off. "To me, that's not an excuse," he said. "I threw a good pitch, and I don't know how he hit it like that. You know, bad day. You can't win every single day. I want to, but you can't."
It's the first time this season Soriano surrendered a walk-off hit. "Hopefully, that's the last one," Rays leftfielder Carl Crawford said.
Tampa Bay won't have long to dwell on the defeat. The Rays welcome the Yankees for a three-game series starting Monday night, pitting 17-game winner David Price against 19-game winner CC Sabathia.
"Every series from here on out is a big deal, until we clinch," Crawford said. "When we play the Yankees . . . it's probably going to have that playoff atmosphere."
Rays starter Jeff Niemann allowed three runs, two hits and four walks in five innings. He is 0-3 with a 15.60 ERA in four starts since missing 20 games in August because of a strained right shoulder.
- AP
