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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
TORONTO (AP) -- Carlos Delgado and Tony Batista bailed out David
Wells.
|  | | Delgado keeps things in perspective after pounding his major league-leading 31st and 32nd homers, saying, "It's still July." |
Delgado homered twice to tie Gary Sheffield for the major league
lead with 32, and Batista hit a go-ahead home run Thursday night as
the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 6-5.
"These guys have been picking us up all year," said Wells, who
pitched poorly and got a no-decision. "They can carry a ball
club."
Delgado drilled a home run off a Hard Rock Cafe restaurant window in right
field in the second inning and added an opposite-field shot off
Steve Trachsel in the fourth.
Batista's 28th homer, a solo drive off Rick White (4-5) in the
eighth, broke a 5-5 tie.
"Boomer's been outstanding for us all year, but he's human,"
Delgado said. "We needed to pick him up today."
Wells, winless since July 8 after winning five straight starts,
again failed to get victory No. 16. He gave up five runs, including
four in the fifth, and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings, raising his ERA
from 3.66 to 3.87.
"I've had a couple times in my career where you just go through
a dead arm period," Wells said. "You feel you don't have it
mentally, but physically I felt fine."
Wells then cut his interview short to hang out with rock star
Meat Loaf.
Tampa Bay dropped to 2-15 in Canada, including 2-13 at Toronto.
The Blue Jays have homered in 19 straight home games, two short of
the team record.
"It's kind of cool to lead the majors in homers, but it's still
July," Delgado said.
Paul Quantrill (1-5) pitched a scoreless eighth for his first
win since Oct. 1 and Billy Koch finished for his 23rd save in his
27 chances.
Toronto trailed 5-3 in the seventh but tied the score on Shannon
Stewart's run-scoring grounder and Craig Grebeck's RBI single off
reliever Jim Mecir.
Delgado's 459-foot shot off the Hard Rock gave Toronto a 1-0
lead in the second.
"When I let it out of my hand I knew it was gone," Trachsel
said.
Jose Cruz added an RBI single in the second.
After Gerald Williams hit a solo homer in the third, Delgado's
homer in the fourth made it 3-1.
Wells loaded the bases in the fifth by hitting Felix Martinez
with a pitch and allowing singles to Gerald Williams and Russ
Johnson.
He then walked Greg Vaughn on four pitches -- just Wells' 21st
walk in 139 2/3 innings. Fred McGriff followed with a two-run
single for a 4-3 Tampa Bay lead, and Jose Canseco's single chased
Wells.
John Frascatore hit Vinny Castilla on the right wrist with a
pitch, forcing in another run and sending the third baseman to a
hospital for X-rays, which proved negative. He will undergo more tests Friday.
Toronto had runners at first and third in the fifth, but third
baseman Ozzie Guillen made a diving stop and threw to first to
throw out Shannon Stewart. Guillen replaced Castilla a half-inning
earlier.
Game notes
Delgado has four two-homer games this season and 19 in his
career. He has 21 multihomer games. ... Delgado is the first
Toronto player to hit 30 or more homers in four straight years. ...
Toronto's bullpen didn't allow a hit. ... The Devil Rays have lost
three straight. ... Williams has five home runs in his last nine
games.
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ALSO SEE
Baseball Scoreboard
Tampa Bay Clubhouse
Toronto Clubhouse
Blue Jays obtain Rangers' Loaiza, send Carpenter to bullpen
RECAPS
Detroit 5
NY Yankees 3
Minnesota 5
Chi. White Sox 1
Boston 11
Baltimore 7
Baltimore 9
Boston 4
(2nd game)
Oakland 5
Seattle 4
Kansas City 10
Cleveland 6
Toronto 6
Tampa Bay 5
Anaheim 6
Texas 1
Montreal 4
NY Mets 1
Pittsburgh 9
Milwaukee 2
Philadelphia 3
Chicago Cubs 2
Atlanta 5
Florida 3
Florida 6
Atlanta 1
(2nd game)
Arizona 3
St. Louis 2
San Francisco 7
San Diego 3
Houston 6
Cincinnati 2
Los Angeles 6
Colorado 3
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