Jays down Rays 3-2 in nail-biter

TORONTO — Before Wednesday’s game, Blue Jays manager John Gibbons walked up to Marcus Stroman in the clubhouse and joked that his starting pitcher was “a media darling.”

The joke being that Stroman isn’t exactly on great terms with the Toronto baseball media this year.

But Stroman was certainly the darling of the majority of 36,784 fans at the Rogers Centre on Wednesday night, leaving the game in the sixth inning with a 3-1 lead as the Jays eventually downed the Tampa Bay Rays 3-2 in a nail-biter. Stroman improved to 11-6 with the win. He has now allowed three or fewer earned runs in 20 of 25 starts this season and has allowed just one home run in his last 10 starts (66.2 innings).

Twice in the first two innings, Stroman picked up strikeouts after falling behind 3-0. He left with one out in the sixth and the bases loaded, but was bailed out by reliever Dominic Leone.

Left fielder Steve Pearce led the Jays’ offence with a fourth-inning home run — his 12th of the season, a solo blast off Rays’ starter Jacob Faria — as well as a double. He also scored twice. The Jays jumped ahead 1-0 in the third when Jose Bautista hit a double to the wall in right centre, scoring Raffy Lopez from first.

The Rays managed to get a run in the fifth when Brad Miller grounded out to Darwin Barney at second with one out to score Mallex Smith from third.

Pearce smacked a double to left to lead off the sixth and was brought home with a single up the middle by Ryan Goins with the Rays’ infield drawn in. Goins was later thrown out at second by catcher Jesus Sucre and on the play, Tampa shortstop Daniel Robertson stepped on his left arm while making the tag. Goins had to leave the game.

Stroman was pulled in the seventh after 108 pitches. He was replaced by left-hander Aaron Loup. Loup walked Steven Souza Jr. on a borderline pitch to score Smith from third, cutting the Jays’ lead to 3-2.

Gibbons then pulled Loup for Leone before being thrown out of the game for arguing balls and strikes on the Souza walk — his fifth ejection this season. Set up man Ryan Tepera pitched a flawless eighth for Toronto and closer Roberto Osuna came in the ninth to get his 31st save.