Bautista hits 38th homer as Blue Jays beat Rays

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updated 10:22 p.m. ET Aug. 29, 2011

TORONTO - Jose Bautista hit his 38th home run, Ricky Romero won his sixth straight decision and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3 on Monday night to avoid a four-game sweep.

Adam Lind added a two-run homer as Toronto snapped a season-high four-game losing streak and overcame a two-homer night from Rays designated hitter Johnny Damon.

Bautista tied Yankees outfielder Curtis Granderson for the major league lead in homers with a solo drive in the sixth that hit off the facing of the third deck in left.

Romero (13-9) allowed three runs and six hits in six innings. The left-hander, who walked four and struck out two, has not lost since July 16 against New York. The Blue Jays have won each of his eight starts since, and Romero is 6-0 with a 2.11 ERA in that span.

Damon followed Desmond Jennings' game-opening walk with a homer in the first, then added a leadoff shot in the fifth, his first multihomer game of the season and the 13th of his career.

Lind came in 3 for 21 and grounded into an inning-ending double play in the first before turning his luck around with a two-run homer to right in the third. The drive, his 23rd of the season and first since Aug. 17, came after Bautista drove in a run with a groundout.

Lind finished 1 for 5 with two strikeouts and is batting .173 (9 for 52) over his past 13 games.

Toronto tacked on two more in the fourth against Rays right-hander Wade Davis (8-8), who is winless in five starts. Kelly Johnson singled and scored on J.P. Arencibia's double before Yunel Escobar hit an RBI single.

The Blue Jays chased Davis in the fifth when Johnson tripled to right on a ball that skipped away from a diving Matt Joyce and Brett Lawrie walked. Brandon Gomes came on and gave up Arencibia's RBI single.

Davis allowed six runs and nine hits in 4 1-3 innings, his second-shortest outing of the season. He walked three and struck out three.

Bautista capped it with his sixth-inning blast off J.P. Howell.

Jennings hit a leadoff single against Jesse Litsch in the seventh and Damon followed with a walk, but Evan Longoria struck out and Ben Zobrist lined to Escobar for an inning-ending double play, with Jennings doubled off second base.

Casey Janssen worked the eighth and Frank Francisco finished for Toronto.

NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Farrell (pneumonia) will not accompany the team on a three-game series in Baltimore that begins Tuesday. Farrell left the dugout in the ninth inning of Thursday's game suffering discomfort. Bench coach Don Wakamatsu will continue to manage the team in Farrell's absence ... Davis lasted a season-low 2 2-3 innings in a May 30 loss to Texas, allowing seven runs and 12 hits. ... Toronto activated LHP Brian Tallet off the 15-day DL. It's been about 10 weeks since Tallet hurt his right ribcage with a hard sneeze. ... Blue Jays RHP Jon Rauch (appendectomy) will throw a simulated game at Baltimore Tuesday and could be activated off the 15-day DL Thursday.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/44322144/ns/sports-baseball/

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