Tampa Bay Rays hand Blue Jays worst beating

TORONTO – Carlos Peña and Ben Zobrist each hit home runs as the Tampa Bay Rays handed Toronto’s Roy Halladay his worst outing in more than two years in a 12-7 win over the slumping Blue Jays in the American League on Monday.

Rod Barajas hit a grand slam to help Toronto build and an early 6-3 lead, but Halladay (13-7) allowed eight runs – seven earned – in six innings to lose for the third time in five starts against the Rays this season.

Zobrist finished 3 for 4 with two RBIs and Jason Bartlett had three hits with an RBI, raising his average to .343, as the Rays won for the seventh time in nine games.

The Rays, who came in three games behind Boston in the AL wild card, snapped a four-game road losing streak.

At Boston, Jose Contreras’ two-out error led to six runs in the third inning as Boston extended its offensive surge by scoring at least 11 runs for the third time in four games for a 12-8 win over Chicago.

Mike Lowell and J.D. Drew homered in the first meeting of the year between the teams, the latest they’ve ever faced each other for the first time.

Ramon Ramirez (7-3) pitched 1 2-3 innings for the win after starter Clay Buchholz was lifted with two outs in the fifth following Paul Konerko’s three-run homer that made it 9-7.

Contreras (5-12) allowed only one earned run but contributed greatly to all seven he allowed in 2 2-3 innings. 

At Minneapolis, Scott Baker allowed a run and four hits over seven innings to lead Minnesota past Baltimore, 2-1, for its fourth straight win.

Jason Kubel drove in the go-ahead run and Alexi Casilla tripled and scored on a wild pitch from Baltimore rookie Chris Tillman (1-2) in the sixth inning.    (AP)