The Rays got exactly what they needed Monday night in Toronto: a steadying start from Nick Martinez and a lineup that finally started landing punches again.
Martinez, coming off his first All-Star Game appearance last week, snapped Tampa Bay’s five-game skid by working six sharp innings and allowing just one run in a 7-1 win over the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. It was the kind of outing that fit the moment. After a rough stretch in Boston, the Rays needed a reset, and their veteran right-hander delivered it.
The win was Tampa Bay’s first since July 11, and Martinez kept adding to a run of reliability that has become a defining part of his season. The Rays are now 15-4 in games he starts, and they’ve gone 6-1 when he takes the mound coming off a loss. Monday also marked his 10th quality start, tying fellow All-Star Drew Rasmussen for the team lead.
Martinez was especially efficient. He didn’t strike out a batter for the first time all season, but he hardly needed swing-and-miss stuff against Toronto’s contact-heavy approach.
The Blue Jays put 23 balls in play against him, yet only five were hard-hit, according to Statcast. He gave up six hits, all singles, walked one, and finished his six innings on just 82 pitches.
Only once did he need more than 15 pitches to get through an inning.
The right-hander’s consistency has been remarkable, too. Monday was the 18th time in 19 starts this season that Martinez held an opponent to three runs or fewer, matching Yankees ace Cam Schlittler and Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski for the most such outings in the Majors this year.
While Martinez controlled the game on the mound, the Rays’ offense went after Dylan Cease, the Blue Jays ace who started last week’s Midsummer Classic. Victor Mesa Jr. kept his power surge rolling with a second-inning shot to center, his third straight game with a home run as his playing time continues to grow. Cedric Mullins added another blast in the sixth, sending his 12th homer of the season straightaway to center.
Cease had gone six starts without allowing a homer since May 24, but the Rays changed that quickly and pushed his season total from five to seven. They also kept the pressure on with a few more timely swings and a little help from Toronto’s defense.
Jonathan Aranda brought home Taylor Walls with a third-inning single. In the fifth, Nick Fortes reached second after a grounder to third base and later scored when Yandy Díaz rolled a ball between Gold Glove shortstop Andrés Giménez’s legs. Junior Caminero finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs, lifting his season total to 62.
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