Thursday, 4 a.m.

It was late in the evening Wednesday night when the Tampa Bay Rays blew up.

They imploded. They crumpled. All at once, they collectively forgot how to play baseball.

The Rays, who went on to lose a 6-3 game to Toronto, had fought their way back to a 2-2 tie. It was the eighth inning, and they had Jason Adam on the mound. No problem there. Adam has 19 holds this season.

Content beyond this point is for members only.

Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo). Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.

And then things went ka-blooey.

With one out, George Springer singled and stole second. After another out, the  Rays intentionally walked Vlad Guerrero.

Adam then gave up back-to-back singles  to Justin Turner (hard hit, but off Jose Caballero’s glove) and Daulton Varsho.

From there, things continued to come apart. There was a passed ball. There was a dropped popup by Taylor Walls. Before the inning was over, the Rays had given up four runs.

For the night, Tampa Bay had just four hits for the second straight game. Randy Arozarena had two of those, scored a run and drove one in.

The Rays are now 51-51, the 24th time they have been at .500 this season.

Jays pitcher Yariel Rodriguez came in with a 1-3 record and a 3.78 ERA. He handled the Rays, however, allowing just two hits through 5 2/3 innings.

The Rays and Jays play again today at 3:07 p.m. at the Rogers Centre.

Wednesday, 4 a.m.

He is hurt too often. He is streaky to a fault. He has struggled in the post-season.

Still, there are times when Brandon Lowe reminds you of how much he can mean to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Lowe’s 11th home run of the season, a two-run shot, highlighted the Rays’ 4-2 win over Toronto Tuesday night. It continued a slow climb by Lowe, who was hitting just .193 25 games ago. Since then, he is hitting .286 with seven home runs.

Content beyond this point is for members only.

Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo). Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.

The Rays should have appreciated him more than ever in this one. Tampa Bay managed just three other hits (Toronto gave up eight walks, too) in their win.

The Rays returned to their opener-bulk guy strategy in this one. They called up Tyler Alexander from Durham, and he went three innings and gave up three hits and no runs. That came after Shawn Alexander started and threw two shutout, one-hit innings.

The last time Alexander faced the Jays, he went into the eighth inning with a perfect game.

The Rays have finally climbed back above .500 at 51-50.

When the Rays have been sharp, their bullpen usually shines. Jason Adams recorded his 19th hold and Pete Fairbanks got his 19th save.

Toronto’s two runs came on back-to-back homers by Vlad Guerrero and Justin Turner. But Toronto was 0-3 with runners in scoring position.

The Rays and Jays play again today at 7:07 p.m. Zach Eflin will start for Tampa Bay against Yariel Rodriguez.

Tuesday, 4 a.m.

This time, the evil Empire struck. Back.

The New York Yankees, who had lost two games in a row and given up eight home runs in the process, found power of their own in Monday’s 91

Content beyond this point is for members only.

Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo). Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.

bashing of the Rays.

The Yankees hit five home runs — two by Juan Soto — to drub the Rays and split their four-game series.

The Rays managed just three hits — two by Amed Rosario — off of pitcher Carlos Rodon,who went seven innings and struck out 10. The Yankees, who had just one homer in the series before Monday, asp got homers from Austin Wells, Anthony Volpe and D.J. LeMahieu.

Rays’ starter Zack Littell struggled, giving up five runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The Rays have had a feast-or-fame offense for most of the season. After two games in which they scored 15 runs and had 18 hits, the Rays were handled.

The Rays’ only run came on a home run from Jose Siri in the fifth inning, his 14th of the season.

The Rays now travel to Toronto for a three-game set. They play tonight at 7:07 p.m. The Rays have not announced a starter . Jose Berrios will start for Toronto.