Some old feelings of stress and satisfaction came flooding back to Tampa Bay pitcher Alex Cobb as he walked off the mound Wednesday.
Alex Cobb pitched 62/3 innings to win for the first time in nearly two years, Kevin Kiermaier and Corey Dickerson hit two-run homers and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays 8-1 on Wednesday. He's 0 for 23 with seven strikeouts in that span.
"Yesterday, I would have said no, but the fact that it's lingering, we'll know more after we get an MRI", Atkins said. Toronto, which fell to 3-8 this month with Tuesday's defeat, hasn't done much to help its cause lately either while scoring three runs or fewer in six of its past eight.
MISCELLANY: The Rays (62-83) won 11 of 19 overall against the Jays, including six of nine at the Rogers Centre, and are the only AL East team with a winning record against them.
"It never really got to where I felt comfortable with it, so we went and had it looked at today and we'll get the results, hopefully, tonight", Donaldson said.
Logan Forsythe singled home a run later in the inning to make the score 6-1 for the Rays, and in the 9th the Rays put it out of reach with a Miller sac-fly and a Dickerson fielder's choice.
Blue Jays: Gibbons said Donaldson jammed his hip when he stepped on first base in Sunday's loss to Boston.
Josh Donaldson will have an MRI on his ailing right hip, the Toronto Blue Jays have announced.
The Blue Jays troubles went from bad to worse in the three-run sixth, highlighted by a two-run home run shot by Corey Dickerson off Matt Demody, who had just come on in relief of Estrada.
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Ramirez, hitting eighth in Rays manager Kevin Cash's order, then provided the big blow with a three-run home run that left fielder Melvin Upton Jr. could only watch sail into the bullpen to give the Rays a 3-0 lead.
The game started out on an encouraging note for the Blue Jays as Marco Estrada struck out five batters in a row, setting a Blue Jays record for the most to open a game. The Mariners, meanwhile, are not far removed from an AL wild-card spot and took two of three at Toronto in July.
Third baseman Evan Longoria called Cobb "the emotional leader" of Tampa Bay's staff. Brad Miller continued the fourth with a walk, took second when Nick Franklin grounded out to first and scored on Dickerson's single.
Cobb allowed nine hits and four runs (three earned) in a no-decision start against the New York Yankees Thursday at Yankee Stadium.
Toronto has lost seven of their last 11 games against the Rays. His previous homer, on August 15, was a solo shot off Smyly at Tampa Bay when Ramirez was still with the Padres.
Atkins said he expects Donaldson to travel with his teammates to the West Coast following Wednesday's game. He is 1-1 with a 5.56 ERA in two starts at Rogers Centre.
Rays starter Drew Smyly (7-11) produced a similar line, pitching into the sixth inning before giving up a two-run home run to Martin and exiting with a 3-2 lead that held up for the win.
If, somewhere in the near future, there will be cause to conduct an autopsy on the 2016 Blue Jays, Wednesday would be a good place to start cutting. The outing snapped his streak of 12 consecutive starts with two walks or less. RHP Daniel Wrigt (0-2, 7.50) starts for Los Angeles.
