Crawford hits grand slam as Rays beat Blue Jays

TORONTO (AP) — David Price became the American League's first eight-game winner, Carl Crawford hit a grand slam and the Tampa Bay Rays rallied in the ninth inning again, beating the Toronto Blue Jays 7-3 on Wednesday night.

Price (8-2), who has won six of his past seven decisions, allowed two runs, none earned, and nine hits in eight innings. He walked none and struck out three.

One night after Blue Jays closer Kevin Gregg walked five in the ninth as the Rays came back from a 5-3 deficit to win 7-6, Tampa Bay needed some late heroics again, erasing a 2-1 lead in its last at-bat.

It was the third time this season the Rays have won when trailing after eight innings. They also did it on Opening Day against Baltimore.

The loser this time was Shaun Marcum (5-2), who had won five straight coming in but lost for the first time since April 16, against the Los Angeles Angels.

Sean Rodriguez and Ben Zobrist opened the ninth with singles before pinch-hitter John Jaso grounded into a fielder's choice, with Zobrist forced out at second. Navarro followed with a bunt up the first-base line, and Lyle Overbay's throw home was too late to get the Rodriguez, who dived behind catcher John Buck and swiped his hand across the plate to score the tying run.

After Reid Brignac drove in the go-ahead run with a double, Jason Frasor came on and loaded the bases by walking B.J. Upton.

Scott Downs replaced Frasor and Crawford hit his third career grand slam, a drive to right. The homer was Crawford's fifth.

Overbay hit an RBI double off Rafael Soriano in the bottom half, but Toronto got no closer.

Marcum allowed five runs, four earned, and 10 hits in 8 1-3 innings.

Toronto took a 2-0 lead with unearned runs in the first and second. Fred Lewis hit a leadoff single in the first and went to third when Brignac couldn't come up with Adam Lind's grounder to short. Jose Bautista scored Lewis with a two-out single.

Overbay doubled in the second, went to third when Upton bobbled the ball in center and scored on Buck's sacrifice fly.

Bautista threw out Navarro at the plate as he tried to score on Upton's fly to right in the fifth, but Crawford followed with an RBI single, making it 2-1. That run was also unearned, thanks to a throwing error by Buck that allowed Brignac to reach safely.

The Rays thought they tied it in the sixth when Rodriguez came around from second on Zobrist's single, but Toronto appealed and third base umpire Angel Hernandez ruled Rodriguez failed to touch third base.

Rays manager Joe Maddon came out to argue with Hernandez, the same umpire who ejected him in the ninth inning Tuesday after Hernandez didn't grant time out on a pitch that struck out Carlos Pena.

Pena didn't start Wednesday as Maddon stacked his lineup with right-handed hitters, hoping to take advantage of the fact that righties hit .280 off Marcum, while left-handers hit just .166. Switch-hitters Zobrist, Navarro and Willy Aybar all hit from the right side.

NOTES: Rays SS Jason Bartlett (right hamstring) was feeling better, Maddon said, but his status for Friday's game at Texas is still undecided. Bartlett has not played since May 29. ... Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said LHP Brian Tallet, who came off the DL to pitch 5 2-3 shutout innings Tuesday, had pitched well enough to earn another start. ... Attendance was 13,517.