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Happ first to 16 wins; Blue Jays alone in first
- Updated: August 11, 2016
TORONTO — The Rays had no trouble scoring at Rogers Centre this season — until they ran into the Major League leader in wins on Wednesday.
J.A. Happ threw six scoreless frames and became the first pitcher to reach 16 victories in 2016, while Troy Tulowitzki led the offense with a three-run home run and drove in a season-high five runs in Toronto’s 7-0 victory over Tampa Bay, which pushed the Blue Jays into sole possession of first place in the American League East, one game ahead of the Orioles, who lost late Wednesday night.
The Rays entered with 45 runs scored in five games in Toronto this year, but they could only muster four hits against Happ. The veteran left-hander recorded his AL-best 12th start with six-plus innings and one or no earned runs allowed, and he struck out seven batters along the way.
“That sounds like Cy Young [Award] stuff,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said about Happ’s consistency. “He’s reliable and you can count on him. He’s going to get roughed up now and then; it hasn’t really happened this year. He’s a new guy. He gets ground balls now — that bails him out of some innings, and he still has the ability to get strikeouts.”
Tulowitzki’s first-inning home run snapped a franchise record of 17 straight solo shots by the Blue Jays, and it opened the floodgates for five runs in the first two innings. The veteran shortstop later added a bases-loaded walk and an RBI single, providing more than enough support for Happ and Co. to secure the series victory.
Rays starter Blake Snell entered Wednesday’s game with five consecutive outings of two earned runs or fewer, but he struggled with the Blue Jays’ right-handed-dominant lineup. The rookie left-hander lasted a season-low 1 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on five hits while walking a season-high-tying four batters.
“Maybe I was too excited,” Snell said. “I felt like I was around the zone a lot. Like I was doing good in that sense. Got behind a lot. … Same time, two innings [68 pitches]. I’m definitely going to learn from it and I’m going to get better. You’re going to have those …
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