Odorizzi, ‘pen struggle as Rays fall short vs. Jays

TORONTO — The Blue Jays received a taste of first place in the American League East late last week and now they want to get back there as quickly as possible.

Toronto snapped a mini two-game losing streak with a 7-5 victory over the Rays on Monday night at Rogers Centre. The victory pulled the Blue Jays within half a game of the Orioles for first place in the division pending the result of Baltimore’s game in Oakland late Monday night.

Second baseman Devon Travis went 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and the go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the seventh. Edwin Encarnacion added his 31st home run of the season, his 299th career homer, with a solo shot to left in the first inning while Jose Bautista added a pair of hits and three RBIs.

Tampa Bay reliever Xavier Cedeno took the loss for Tampa Bay after he walked both batters he faced in the seventh inning. Right-hander Dylan Floro entered later and walked the bases loaded before he surrendered the single to Travis. Starter Jake Odorizzi did not factor into the decision after he allowed four runs over 5 1/3 innings.

Blue Jays reliever Joaquin Benoit earned the victory after he tossed a scoreless seventh inning. Knuckleballer R.A. Dickey departed midway through the fifth with the score tied at 4 after he allowed four runs on six hits and three walks. Logan Forsythe hit a solo homer in the top of the ninth, but it was too little, too late for the Rays offense.

MOMENTS THAT MATTEREDOdorizzi’s streak gone: Odorizzi took a 20 2/3-innings scoreless streak into Monday night’s start. But Travis lined a ball to right that Mikie Mahtook dove for and missed. By the time the ball got back to the …

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