ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Relief pitcher Ryan Yarbrough made his case for a spot in Tampa Bay's injury-depleted rotation by throwing five scoreless innings in a 6-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday night.
Johnny Field homered off J.A. Happ (4-2) and Brad Miller added a two-run shot to put it out of reach in the eighth. Wilson Ramos, Denard Span and Adeiny Hechavarria also drove in runs for the Rays, who've won 10 of 13 after a slow start.
Yarbrough (2-1) is a 26-year-old rookie who may wind up in the rotation after allowing a single to the first batter he faced — Dalton Pompey in the third inning — then retiring 15 in a row.
The left-hander, who manager Kevin Cash earlier said was a likely candidate to replace injured starter Yonny Chirinos, struck out four before being replaced in the eighth by Sergio Romo, who yielded a solo homer to Aledmys Diaz. Alex Colome worked the ninth in a non-save situation.
While the Rays planned to open the season with a four-man rotation and use bullpen days as needed for a fifth starter, injuries to Nathan Eovaldi and now Chirinos have forced Cash at times to go with three starters and a nine-man bullpen that includes Andrew Kittredge and three other long relievers.
Kittredge made his third start Friday night, allowing one run and two hits in two innings.
Toronto's Curtis Granderson doubled and scored on Teoscar Hernandez's sacrifice fly in the first inning. Luke Maile had the Blue Jays' other hit, a two-out single in the second off Kittredge.
The Blue Jays played their fourth game over three days in three cities. They lost in Minnesota on Wednesday before splitting two games Thursday in Cleveland — a doubleheader that had to be scheduled because of weather postponements on consecutive days in mid-April.
What already figured to be a long day was extended by a 1-hour, 53-minute rain delay before Game 1, which last 11 innings and nearly five hours. The team arrived in Florida around 4 a.m. Friday.
"Some guys were playing 18 innings, then you travel all night," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "It's tough to complain about anything in this job, but there's one thing you can complain about."
The Rays were off Thursday after returning home from an eight-game road trip.
TRAINERS ROOM
Blue Jays: Granderson left in the second inning with right hamstring tightness. ... Utilityman Steve Peace was placed on the 10-day disabled list after straining his oblique during Thursday's doubleheader. ... 1B Justin Smoak (paternity leave) is expected to return to the team on Sunday.
Rays: Eovaldi (right elbow surgery) started a rehab assignment, pitching one inning with Class A Charlotte. He threw 17 pitches, allowing one run and two hits.
UP NEXT
Blue Jays: RHP Aaron Sanchez (2-2, 4.06) starts the middle game of the weekend series.
Rays: Jake Faria (2-1, 4.60) makes his seventh start of the season. He's allowed one run or fewer in four of his outings.
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