Blue Jays vs. Rays Game Highlights (5/25/23) | MLB Highlights

Zach Eflin has been in complete command of all of his stuff. But for Eflin the way he moves the baseball around and pounds the strike zone is interesting and so successful. And the Blue Jays hit Bichette leadoff today. Expect the cutter and the curveball combination to go up there and go against Bo Bichette. There's a swing at a ground ball hit right to the second baseman Brandon Lowe. He's down the field and throws on the first and the three one is down and in that it's going to be a one out walk. And if it doesn't walk many that's just the sixth walk he's used so far this season. Eflin to the plate and a ground ball and he'll find its way through into center field and Varsha is on his way to third and the throw from center field and first to third on the base hit through the middle belt is the batter. Here's a one one in the air to left field it's a base hit. Belt delivers and Varsha scores a rare occurrence that Zach Eflin issues a free pass. Now again it's so much easier for a hitter to hit with a runner in third than it is at a runner in second and credit Varsha with that good piece of base running fly ball toward the line and right low in the foul territory is there and makes the catch to retire the side. Blue Jays get two hits and they make Eflin pay for a rare walk at the end of half an inning Toronto one in the race coming up. I like making his top starter or 11th start of the season excuse me and he's always pitched well in his ballpark. Wanda Franco now after a three hit game two balls and one strike Franco lines one to the gap in left center and that gets in for a hit racing to cut it off. Kiermaier can't do it and it takes a bounce back toward center field. Franco around second is going to hit for third and he will be held on a triple infield comes in for Randy Rosarito ground ball. It's going to go through the drawn in infield Franco scores and the Rays tie this game on the base hit by a Rosarito. That ball slipped through the left side. He went back in. He was trying to just crowd Randy and get poor contact. And that's what he got. Brandon Lau has been out the last couple of days with a stiff neck. Not have an update at this point that went in the dirt swinging a massive curve throws the first out in a Rosarito with a wide turn at third. They're going to look at that play at first base because Brandon Lau he hustled up the line and Kirk had to go up to first base line to retrieve the ball. You could see Lau hustling out of the box and Kirk's throw to first. I'll tell you what it's bang bang. But it looks like Tampa Bay is going to look at this call at first base. Kirk went after it but had to take a step back towards the fair side of the line and make a throw to Vladimir Guerrero Junior setting up a better angle flat. He didn't extend off the first base bag. He just kind of squared up with the sack and it looks like Lau might have beat the play. How the Rays will get that baserunner at first. As a result runners on the corners for Harold Ramirez groundball second Bob momentarily by Viggio. But the throw to first it's not going to be in time and a run will score strikes out walls looking and that it's a bottom of the first inning to one race in front as they come to bat against Alec Manoa in the home second inside ball four from Owen to do a lead off walk. The pitch is high throw down to second base and he has stolen this one easily. Mejia in the air foul territory toward the Rays dugout it's Flanigan dealing with the roof here in the daytime and falls back but he still is able to make the catch to really it's second with two way. There's Josh Lowe the three one to low slice to left field hit that well towards the corner Varshall can't get it it's up over his head and off the wall here is Rayleigh to score the third run and Josh Lowe in the second with an RBI double in the Rays have a three to one lead with the work of the seven eight nine hitters paid off because Josh got in a great count and this is now almost a 30 pitch inning for Alec Manoa badly inside each pitch got worse and it's ball for eight pitches in a row out of the zone by Manoa and the Rays have loaded the bases Brandon Lowe Lowe at third Franco at second Rosa right at first three to one raise the pitch swing and a miss and he chased one of the dirt so Manoa comes back to strike out Lowe the Rays leave him loaded and score one to add to the lead through to its race three Toronto one to get ready for the third inning and the Rays have a three to one lead and Zach Eflin with a shutdown ending in the third one two three go the Jays three one Tampa Bay in front Blue Jays trailing three one for the moment the Blue Jays the Rays avoided a huge blow Rays had him loaded up and a three one count and we saw that back in the second after striking out Ramirez Walls walks and now Rayleigh walks he's really all over the place hasn't really been able to establish anything in the strike zone he's on sixty three pitches one one with two on as the Blue Jays look for two up the middle Walls goes pitches high throw to third off the glove of their third baseman Chapman here comes Walls for the plate he will score and on the third on the play goes Luke Rayleigh a double steal and error and the Rays lead for one infield up a little number right side Guerrero will make the play unassisted and coming home from third Rayleigh and the Rays get both these walks home converting them into run back Eflin back to the mounts five one raise in the sixth. I've done a good job of keeping the ball on the ground. Ten or 15 outs now have been on the ground Chapman not really a threat to run down five one is a swing and a drive to shallow center to his left Margot waits and now it carries to him for the final out of the inning. So two pitches Eflin's out of it and he's gone six so far today as we go to the home seventh Rays lead five one new pitcher for Toronto. It's going to be ball for a little high and Franco heads to first a one runner goes it's a ball for a second not in time stolen base for Wander Franco that is his team leading 16th and number six for the Rays today. And the pitch is taken for a strike and there's a steal of third base for Wander make it seven steals for the Rays in seven tries to to the count to Rosarito and a ground ball to the middle against the drawn in infield and the Rays pick up another run a walk steal of second steal of third and the base hit the center. Well Zach Eflin his afternoon is over and it was again an outstanding outing for him here at Tropicana Field as he went seven strong innings giving up just a one run. You saw all the ground ball outs he kept the infielders busy. They were able to record those outs for him and there they are twenty one of those outs none by the way via the strikeout. You can see the sinker leading the way as it will the cutter. Those are those are his top two and then the curve ball the four seam that he'll occasionally come with and and the changeup got everything involved was sharp and it's put the Rays in pretty good position here. O'Shea and kind of a nice soft landing spot for him to try and protect the lead and the pitch is lying towards center over on the run Margot he'll make the catch galloping toward right center and in the inning for the Jays one walk one left race three outs away from a series win up six one over Toronto for the ninth inning the Rays have a six one lead as they look to close out a victory and make it three out of four against the Jays Kirk a base hit Kiermaier a base hit Springer just walked as a pitch hitter and Colin Poche Bichette awaits a shadow waits to three. Oh there is one down here in the top of the ninth and Kirk will jog home Clement pops this one high in the air to center field it's going to be a sacrifice fly in an RBI and there's two down with runners at first and second two down in the ninth Blue Jays trail six three. She mentioned tying run at the plate the first pitch from Poche swing slow roller jam shot the third picked up by Walsh goes to second in the Rays win they win the series against Toronto and they match their season high twenty two games above five hundred. They beat the Blue Jays this afternoon by the final score of six to three.