Jays top Rays amid card flap

BLUE JAYS 4 RAYS 2

ST. PETERSBURG —The Blue Jays beat the Rays, 4-2, Tuesday night, but much of the talk centered on what went on Monday night, when Rays veteran Kevin Kiermaier scooped up a data card that fell out of Toronto catcher Alejandro Kirk’s wristband and refused to give it back to the Blue Jays.

Kiermaier was called out sliding into home during the sixth inning and saw a strip of paper lying next to him after the play. He casually picked it up and took it back to Tampa Bay’s dugout, where he discreetly handed it Paul Hoover, the club’s field coordinator.

“I never even looked at it, I’ll say that,” Kiermaier told Sportnet before Tuesday night’s game. “But at the same time, I’m not going to drop it or hand it back.”

Sportsnet reported Toronto sent a bat boy to the Rays dugout to ask for the card’s return. Tampa Bay did not send back the card, which likely included information about the Blue Jays’ plans to pitch to the Rays’ hitters.

There were no incidents when Kiermaier batted for the first time Tuesday, when he hit into a firstpitch double play.

Rays manager Kevin Cash was seen chatting with Blue Jays skipper Charlie Montoyo before Tuesday’s game.

Tuesday night, rookie Alek Manoah rebounded from early control issues to last six innings in the Blue Jays’ victory.

Toronto maintained a halfgame lead lead over the Yankees for the second AL wild card. Tampa Bay, closing in on its second straight division title, is six games ahead of second-place Boston. The Rays, just 9-11 this month, have 10 games remaining.

Manoah (7-2) allowed two runs and five hits. stuck out seven and walked six — double his previous season high. Four of the walks occurred during the opening two innings.

Jordan Romano, the third Toronto reliever, walked Ji-Man Choi, Yandy Díaz and Randy Arozarena with two outs in the ninth, Joey Wendle lined a ball just foul down the right-field line on the first pitch, then hit a flyout to right that gave Romano his 20th save in 21 chances.