Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Aaron Hill (top) and Tampa Bay Rays Ben Zobrist collide in a force out during ninth inning AL action in Toronto on Wednesday June 2, 2010.FRANK GUNN/The Canadian Press
Once again the Toronto Blue Jays gave the Tampa Bay Rays all they could handle.
Once again they came up empty-handed.
For the second consecutive game the Blue Jays (31-24) suffered through a ninth-inning nightmare, allowing the Rays (36-18) to break loose for six runs that propelled Tampa to a 7-3 victory before 13,517 onlookers at Rogers Centre on Wednesday night.
"All you had to do was get three outs and we weren't able to do it," came the lament afterward from Cito Gaston, the Blue Jays manager.
Gaston had a quick shave after the game before he spoke with reporters in his office adjacent to the Blue Jays clubhouse.
Nobody would have blamed him if he considered cutting his throat the way the last 48 hours have unfolded for his team.
On Tuesday night, the Blue Jays carried a 5-3 lead into the ninth inning before closer Kevin Gregg came in and imploded on the mound, walking five and surrendering a three-run scoring single double that allowed Tampa to score four times and steal off with a 7-6 victory.
On Wednesday, on the strength of another strong outing by starting pitcher Shaun Marcum, the Blue Jays carried a 2-1 lead into the ninth.
With his bullpen mostly expended from the previous night's follies, and Marcum at 99 pitches but still looking strong, Gaston sent his starter out in the ninth to try to finish what he began.
"I felt good," said Marcum, who was riding a five-game winning streak.
Things soured quickly when first Sean Rodriguez and then Ben Zobrist knocked back-to-back singles to begin the inning.
With runners at first and third and one out, Dioner Navarro then stepped to the plate and executed a perfect squeeze bunt up the first base line.
Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay fielded it cleanly but had a bit of trouble getting the ball out of his glove and that was the difference in Sean Rodriguez sliding home safely from third base with the tying run.
"We pretty much knew it was coming," Marcum said. "The runner didn't take off, it was more of a safety squeeze, so I just threw something down and away hoping he'd [Navarro]foul something off and he did a good job of putting it in play."
Reid Brignac then stepped into the batter's box and singled to left field that scored John Jaso with the go-ahead run.
The capper came moments later when Toronto reliever Scott Downs was brought in to face Carl Crawford with the bases loaded and Crawford unloaded with a grand slam home run to right field that put a big exclamation mark on the Tampa victory.
With the win, the Rays managed to win the series two games to one, not the outcome the Blue Jays had in mind in beginning a key nine-game run against American League East rivals that will continue on Friday when the New York Yankees arrive in town.
The Rays, owners of the best record in the major leagues, have now won four of six games against the Blue Jays this season.
Marcum said the setbacks have been tough to absorb.
"Very tough," he said. "This is probably the best team in the league and we've played them six times and taken them down to the wire every time.
"Just late in the game they come back, they've battled and that's probably why they were in the World Series a couple years ago and why they're leading the division."
For a while it appeared the Blue Jays were destined to win.
With Tampa batting in the fifth inning and the Blue Jays leading 2-0, Navarro tagged up at third and tried to score on a fly ball to right field but was easily thrown out at the plate on a nice throw from Jose Bautista.
In the sixth, with Toronto's lead pared back to 2-1, Zobrist singled to centrefield for Tampa that brought Rodriguez all the way home from second base with what appeared to be the tying run.
But the Blue Jays appealed the play at third base and third base umpire Angel Hernandez called Rodriguez out, ruling he missed the bag as he hurried by.
Television replays were inconclusive and the Blue Jays were the recipient of a huge break, one they ultimately could not take advantage of.
On deck
Turning point With Toronto clinging to a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning, the Rays had runners at first and third against Shaun Marcum, the Blue Jays' starting pitcher, with one out. Dioner Navarro then stepped to the plate and laid down a nice squeeze bunt up the first-base line. Toronto first baseman Lyle Overbay fielded the ball, but had a bit of trouble getting it out of his glove, and that was the difference in Sean Rodriguez making it home safely from third base with the tying run.
Offensive player Toronto reliever Scott Downs entered the game in the ninth with the Rays now leading 3-2 and the bases loaded and the first batter he faced, Carl Crawford, cranked a grand-slam home run just inside the foul pole in right field to leave no doubt as to the outcome.
Starting pitchers It was a great pitching duel between David Price of the Rays and Shaun Marcum of the Blue Jays, with Price managing to come out on top to improve his record to 8-2. Price went eight innings, allowing two Toronto runs off nine hits. Marcum was also impressive, not to mention a bit unlucky, pitching into the ninth inning before the game got away from him. Marcum (5-2) allowed five of the Tampa runs off 10 hits.
Notes In what is becoming commonplace these days with the Blue Jays, leadoff hitter Fred Lewis found himself on base with a leadoff single in the first - and he scored the game's first run on a single to left field by Jose Bautista. Lewis is now on an eight-game hitting streak … a double by Toronto's Vernon Wells in the fourth extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
Next Friday vs. New York Yankees, at Rogers Centre, 7:07 p.m. ET
Starters Toronto LHP Brett Cecil (5-2, 3.81) against New York RHP A.J. Burnett (6-2, 3.28)
TV Rogers Sportsnet