ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- R.A. Dickey successfully walked a tightrope Monday as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-3 for the second night in a row.
Dickey allowed three earned runs in five-plus innings but escaped disaster by just a few feet in the fifth inning. Three batters after Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier scored on a wild pitch, Evan Longoria nearly tied the game with a three-run homer, but Blue Jays left fielder Michael Saunders reeled in Longoria's shot on the warning track.
"When it first went off the bat and I heard that sound, I thought, 'Uh-oh,'" Dickey said. "My heart skipped a beat a little bit."
Josh Thole, Josh Donaldson and Saunders homered for the Blue Jays off Rays starter Drew Smyly.
The Rays left nine runners on base and went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
Turning point: Troy Tulowitzki gave the Blue Jays the lead with a sacrifice fly to center in the fourth inning, eliciting a "Let's go Blue Jays" chant from the many Canadian snowbirds in attendance. Two batters later, Saunders hit a two-run homer to center, barely beyond the reach of a leaping Kiermaier.
What it means: Toronto might be on its way to erasing a reputation for slow starts. The Blue Jays started 19-26 last season and still won 93 games. A win Tuesday would mark the first time Toronto started 3-0 since 1996. Meanwhile, the Rays are 0-2 and must try to avoid starting the season with three consecutive losses for the first time since 2011.
Thumbs up: Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Pillar made a Web Gem of a catch to rob the Rays' Steve Pearce of extra bases to open the bottom of the seventh. Pillar made the grab at full speed before planting his face into the padded wall in left-center.
What's next: Right-hander Aaron Sanchez takes the mound for the Blue Jays on Tuesday. In his only career start against Tampa Bay, Sanchez took the loss in a 4-2 defeat last April 16. Tampa Bay counters with righty Jake Odorizzi, who is 2-2 with a 3.96 ERA in six career starts against Toronto.
