Toronto Blue Jays' Kevin Pillar celebrates with Ryan Goins after Pillar hit a solo home run off Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Tommy Hunter during the eighth inning of a game in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Aug. 23, 2017.Chris O'Meara/The Associated Press
Kevin Pillar hit Toronto's sixth home run of the game in the eighth inning, lifting the Blue Jays over the Tampa Bay Rays 7-6 on Wednesday night.
Pillar snapped a 6-6 tie with a homer off Tommy Hunter (2-5) to help the Blue Jays end a four-game losing streak. It was Pillar's 13th homer of the season.
Kevin Keirmaier hit two home runs and scored three times for the Rays, who came back from 5-0 down to the tie it before losing for the ninth time in 12 games.
Ryan Tepera (7-1) got the win and Roberto Osuna got the final four outs for his 33rd save.
Josh Donaldson's 22nd home run – and his sixth in six games against the Rays – got the Blue Jays off to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Ryan Goins, Raffy Lopez and Steve Pearce added solo shots off starter Austin Pruitt in the second, putting Toronto up 5-0.
Keirmaier's ninth home run came with a man on in the third, and Steven Souza Jr.'s 27th homer cut the lead to 5-3 in the fourth.
After Justin Smoak's 34th home run stretched it to 6-3 in the fifth, Kiermaier hit his second homer of the game. RBI singles by Brad Miller in the sixth and Evan Longoria in the seventh tied it at 6.
Pruitt gave up five runs and seven hits in 3 2/3 innings.
Toronto starter Marcus Stroman, who had given up only one home run in his 10 previous starts, gave up five runs and eight hits, including three homers, in 5 1/3 innings.
The combined nine home runs tied a Rays franchise record.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Blue Jays: Stroman and LHP J.A. Happ will make their next starts on six days of rest because of the addition of Tom Koehler to the rotation.
Rays: RHP Alex Cobb will come off the disabled list Thursday to make his first start since Aug. 5. "If having 2 1/2 weeks off freshened him up, that's fine. We'll take that," manager Kevin Cash said. "I think we'll all benefit, especially Alex."
UP NEXT
Koehler, acquired from the Miami Marlins on Saturday, will make his first start for the Blue Jays on Thursday in the series finale. It will be the Rays' final game before a nine-game road trip. Happ (6-9, 3.90) will start for Toronto.