Recap: Toronto vs. Tampa Bay

By Sports Network

Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Alex Rios hit a pair of home runs and Roy Halladay threw seven effective innings, as the Toronto Blue Jays toppled Tampa Bay, 6-4, in the first of three games with the Rays.

Halladay (18-9) gave up three runs -- one earned -- on seven hits, walked none and struck out seven to pick up the win. The victory was Toronto's sixth straight, marking the first time the club has won that many in a row since May 4-10, 2004.

Rios finished with three runs batted in, while Lyle Overbay doubled and drove in two for the Jays.

Andy Sonnanstine (13-7) took the loss after allowing four runs on five hits in six frames. He had won his last three decisions.

Jason Bartlett went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI for Tampa Bay, which led the AL East by 3 1/2 games over Boston heading into Friday night's action. The Red Sox are currently playing the Rangers.

The Rays took a two-run edge in the first inning when Carlos Pena and Cliff Floyd each brought in a run with a sacrifice fly.

But the Blue Jays rallied to take the lead in the second. Vernon Wells led off with a double, and singles from Adam Lind and Rod Barajas loaded the bases. Overbay then slapped a hit to center that B.J. Upton booted, allowing two runs to cross the plate. Scott Rolen followed with a sac fly to make it a 3-2 game.

In the home third, Rios blasted a home run to left field to put Toronto up two.

The game remained that way until the seventh inning, when Dioner Navarro hit a one-out single. Gabe Gross followed with a double to put runners in scoring position, and Bartlett singled to drive in Fernando Perez -- who pinch-ran for Navarro.

But Akinori Iwamura batted the ball back to Halladay, who caught Gross in a rundown between third and home. The Toronto starter then fanned Upton to leave Tampa Bay trailing by one.

Rios' two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, off Grant Balfour, gave Toronto a 6-3 edge. It also provided crucial insurance as the Rays staged a comeback in the ninth.

Against B.J. Ryan, Perez led off with his first major league hit, and scored on Bartlett's one-out double to the gap in left field. After Iwamura struck out, Upton got on base thanks to an error, and stole second to put the tying runs in scoring position. However, Ryan struck out Pena to nail down his 27th save of the season.