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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Boomer came through again.
|  | | David Wells tied the Toronto record for victories before the All-Star break with his 13th. |
David Wells became the majors' first 13-game winner and Jose
Cruz Jr. homered as the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil
Rays 5-2 Wednesday night.
Wells (13-2) pitched a five-hitter in picking up his sixth straight win and fourth complete game of the season.
"When you're locked in, you're locked in," Wells said, "I
just go out there and I'm in my own little world."
The left-hander struck out five and did not walk a batter for the ninth time in 17 starts.
"What can you say ... he's 13-2," Blue Jays manager Jim
Fregosi said. "To me, he's been the best pitcher overall in the
league this year, and that's saying something because that guy in
Boston in pretty darn good."
Wells tied Roger Clemens (1997), the other principal in a
four-player trade last year between Toronto and the New York
Yankees, for the most wins by a Blue Jays pitcher by the All-Star
break. He could establish a new standard in his next scheduled
start Monday at Baltimore.
The first-place Blue Jays hold a three-game lead over the
Yankees in the AL East.
"As long as we do our job, let the rest speak for itself,"
Wells said. "I'm just happy we're winning."
Wells threw 85 of 108 pitches for strikes. He retired 12 of the
last 13 hitters he faced.
"It was all David Wells tonight," Tampa Bay manager Larry Rothschild said. "He took over the game."
"He never gave in," added Tampa Bay outfielder Bubba Trammell.
"He was outstanding."
Toronto's Carlos Delgado extended his career-high hitting streak to 21 games with a fourth-inning single. He is tied with
Baltimore's B.J. Surhoff for the longest current streak in the
American League.
Russ Johnson hit a solo homer for Tampa Bay in the third. The
Devil Rays have homered in a team-record eight straight games.
Johnson, mired in a 2-for-22 slump, homered for the first time
since last Sept. 6.
Cruz opened the scoring with a second-inning solo homer and
added an RBI double during a four-run fourth.
Esteban Yan (4-6) allowed five runs and six hits in four-plus
innings. In his last two starts, the right-hander has given up 12
runs in five-plus innings.
"Before, I was throwing more strikes and keeping the ball
down," Yan said. "And right now, I don't have a lot of luck."
Devil Rays relievers Doug Creek and Roberto Hernandez limited
the Blue Jays to just one hit over the final five innings. Creek
struck out five -- including four straight -- over four innings.
"Against a guy like Wells, it's tough to come back,"
Rothschild said. "When he's on his game, and he was on his game,
it's tough."
Tampa Bay's Fred McGriff, who entered with nine hits in 11 at-bats, went 0-for-3. He picked up his 17th RBI in the past 15
games with a groundout that got the Devil Rays within 5-2 in the
fourth.
McGriff left the game with a bruised right shin after fouling a
ball off his leg in the sixth. His status is day-to-day.
"I got a good bruise," said McGriff, who had swelling about
the size of a baseball on his leg. "I'm going to go home, elevate
my leg and we'll see what happens tomorrow."
McGriff is the only member of the Devil Rays' slugging foursome
in the lineup. Jose Canseco (strained left heel), Vinny Castilla
(lower back inflammation) and Greg Vaughn (right hamstring strain)
are all on the 15-day disabled list.
Game notes
Wells recorded his 1,500th career strikeout by fanning
Bobby Smith in the second. ... Yan has allowed 19 homers in 86
innings. ... Toronto's Craig Grebeck started at 2B instead of Homer
Bush for the second straight game. ... Tampa Bay 2B Miguel Cairo,
whose status is in limbo after Smith was recalled from the minors
on June 14, was the designated hitter for the first time in his
career. ... Tampa Bay RHP Dave Eiland (pinched left hip bursa sac) had his minor-league rehab start with Double-A Orlando pushed back to Thursday because of a rain out.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Toronto Clubhouse
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
RECAPS
Baltimore 8
Boston 7
Detroit 13
NY Yankees 6
Toronto 5
Tampa Bay 2
Chi. White Sox 7
Minnesota 3
Kansas City 8
Cleveland 1
Texas 5
Oakland 3
Anaheim 3
Seattle 2
Cincinnati 7
St. Louis 3
Atlanta 7
Montreal 4
Chicago Cubs 5
Pittsburgh 4
NY Mets 6
Florida 5
Philadelphia 9
Milwaukee 7
Colorado 17
San Francisco 13
Arizona 6
Houston 2
Los Angeles 5
San Diego 4
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