by Steve Carney

The offensive outpouring continues.

Four Rays players hit home runs, as Tampa Bay closed the gap in the Wild Card race by another game with a 11-5 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

Rays starter Matt Moore struggled with his command early, allowing a pair of runs in the top of the first inning thanks to an RBI single by Edwin Encarnacion and a sacrifice fly from Adam Lind.

The Rays got on the board in the bottom of the first, loading the bases off Brandon Morrow with a single and a pair of walks before Ben Francisco accepted a free pass to drive in a run to cut the deficit in half. 

Tampa Bay took the lead for good an inning later, as Evan Longoria blasted a three-run homer off Morrow (8-7) to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.

Moore however was lifted before the end of the third inning after throwing just 50 pitches.

The Rays made it 5-2 in the fourth as Desmond Jennings blasted a solo shot off Morrow.

Jennings allowed Toronto to get back into the contest in the top of the fifth, as he was unable to catch Lind's fly ball with two out in the inning, and it rolled all the way to the wall for a two-run triple to make it 5-4.

However, the Blue Jays would get no closer, as Tampa Bay would sent twelve men to the plate, plating six of them thanks to an RBI double by Francisco, an RBI single by Ryan Roberts, and two-run homers off the bats of Jose Molina and B.J. Upton.

Adeiny Hechavarria set the scoreing in the top of the eighth, singling in Moises Sierra to make it 11-5.

The Rays set a new franchise-high by scoring 43 runs in their last four games.

Tampa Bay can complete the three-game sweep Sunday, as Jeremy Hellickson (8-10, 3.31 ERA) takes on Chad Jenkins (0-1, 4.91 ERA).  Coverage starts at noon on 970 WFLA with This Week in Rays Baseball.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:40.