One Bad Pitch Makes Difference in Rays' 3-1 loss to Blue Jays Wednesday

TORONTO. One pitch. One lousy pitch.

That was the difference between victory and defeat for the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night. Starting pitcher Ryan Pepiot was brilliant — right up until the point where he grooved a fastball right over the middle of the plate to Toronto Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk. The powerful catcher — a boyhood friend of Rays star Jonathan Aranda in Mexico — deposited the meatball into the seats in right-center for a three-run home run.

It was Pepiot's only mistake all night in the 3-1 loss. He tried to go fastball up in the zone to beat Kirk, but he missed his spot — by a wide margin. And with the Rays' bats quiet once again — which is becoming a trend in Pepiot starts — that one mistake with poor location made a huge difference.

“One mistake. That's the name of the game,” Pepiot told. reporters after the game at the Rogers Center in Toronto. “It doesn't matter how I feel. We win the game, that's all that matters. He swung at one way above his head earlier in the game.

"I tried to get it up there, and I just threw it right down the middle. Left the yard, three runs, game over.”

It was a frustrating night overall for the Rays (19-23), who scored 11 runs in a win on Tuesday night but scratched out only one on Wednesday. That came in the fourth inning, when Aranda walked to lead off the frame. Christopher Morel hit into a fielder's choice and then stole second. Kirk's throw was off-line, and Morel wound up on third. Rays center fielder Kameron Misner singled to right field and the Rays led 1-0. It was his first RBI since April 23.

They held that lead into the sixth inning because Pepiot — who's been very good in his past five starts — was cruising. He had a little scare in the first inning when Vladimiar Guerrero Jr. and Anthony Santandar both singled, but he wiped it out with a double play ball.

He didn't give up another hit until the fifth inning, when opened led off with a single. Ernie Clement added a one-out single, but the Pepiot struck out Jonatin Clase and got a ground ball from Bo Bichette to end the threat.

The Kirk homer with two outs in the sixth was more than enough because the Rays rarely threatened. They failed to get a single hit off the Blue Jays (21-21) in the final five innings. They were just 1-for-5 on the night with runners in scoring position, and were held to one run or less for the 12th time this year in 42 starts.

The Rays have only scored 12 total runs with Pepiot on the mound through nine starts this season. The 2.15 average run support is the third-lowest in the majors among 79 qualified starters.

The two teams end the first of four series this year on Thursday afternoon in a 3:07 p.m. ET getaway game. Zack Littell (2-5, 4.40 ERA) will pitch for Tampa Bay. Kevin Gausman (3-3, 3.97 ERA) gets the start for Toronto.