Biggest comeback in club history lifts Rays over Blue Jays 10-9 in 12 innings

Record comeback lifts Rays over Blue Jays in 12

TORONTO — Jason Bartlett hit an RBI double in the 12th inning, capping the biggest comeback in Tampa Bay history, and the Rays erased an eight-run deficit to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 10-9 on Saturday.

Down 8-0 after four, Tampa Bay cut it to 9-7 heading into the ninth against closer Scott Downs. The defending AL champions tied it on solo homers by Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar, handing Downs his third blown save.

It’s the first time in their 12-year history that the Rays have overcome an eight-run deficit. It matched the largest lead the Blue Jays have squandered, done three times previously.

Dropped to sixth in the order for the first time this season, Pena went 2 for 6 with four RBIs.

Facing right-hander Shawn Camp (0-5), Ben Zobrist singled to begin the 12th. After a two-out walk to Gabe Gross, Bartlett hit a double that landed on the left-field line, driving home the tiebreaking run.

J.P. Howell (6-2) pitched two innings for the win and Joe Nelson finished for his third save.

Toronto used three walks to load the bases with one out in the 12th but Nelson struck out Aaron Hill looking and got Adam Lind on a grounder.

Hill hit two home runs for Toronto, while Alex Rios and Jose Bautista also went deep. Still, the Blue Jays lost for the seventh time in eight games against the Rays.

Hill, who leads Toronto with 24 homers, had his second multihomer game of the season.

Tampa Bay loaded the bases with two outs in the 11th but Camp struck out Evan Longoria to end the threat.

It was all Toronto early, as Rays rookie left-hander David Price matched a season high by allowing six runs and nine hits in three innings.

Toronto jumped on Price for two in the first. Lind hit an RBI double and Scott Rolen singled up the middle, with the ball grazing the fingers of Price’s pitching hand and bringing a visit from the trainer and manager Joe Maddon.

After three warmup pitches, Price declared himself fit to continue and gave up an RBI grounder to Kevin Millar.

Bautista hit a one-out drive in the second, his third. One out later, Hill also homered to left.

Rios hit a two-run drive to center in the third, his 12th, and Hill added a two-run shot off Lance Cormier in the fourth, his fourth in four games.

Pitching for the first time since July 8, Blue Jays left-hander Brian Tallet allowed five runs in six-plus innings, walked one and struck out two.

With the Rays down 9-1, Pena chased Tallet in the seventh with a bases-loaded triple that caromed off the base of the right-field wall. Brandon League came on and gave up an RBI grounder to Aybar.

Tampa Bay cut it to 9-7 in the eighth when Pat Burrell hit a two-run single off Jeremy Accardo, but the inning ended when Burrell was thrown out trying for a double.

NOTES: Pena was dropped in the order after he came in batting .133 (8 for 60) with one homer and four RBIs in July. Maddon said Pena will bat fifth or sixth for the time being. “I think he’s pressing a little too hard and I want him to back off,” Maddon said. … Bautista had two outfield assists and leads the Blue Jays with seven. … Former Montreal Expos general manager Jim Fanning threw out the first pitch.