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The Tampa Bay Rays have even less room for error to keep their postseason hopes alive after dropping the opener of a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays in shocking fashion Thursday night in Toronto.The Blue Jays scored seven runs in the ninth inning to win 9-8 on the third career walkoff home run by Justin Smoak.The Blue Jays also had a three-run homer from Danny Jansen in the ninth and a two-run shot from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. that tied it.Article continues below ...The loss ended a five-game winning streak for the Rays and dropped them to 6 1/2 games behind the Oakland Athletics in the race for the second wild-card spot in the American League.“This one definitely puts us in a very difficult position Jimmy Wynn Jersey ,” Rays infielder Matt Duffy said. “We’re going to bounce back, we’re going to do what we can. Mathematically we’re still in it so we’re going to keep going until this thing is over.”The Rays (85-67) are expected to send out Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.14 ERA) as their opener in the second game of the series Friday night at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays will counter with right-hander Sean Reid-Foley (2-3, 5.54).The Blue Jays usually have their troubles with the Rays and, despite the Rays’ loss Thursday, Tampa Bay has a 9-4 advantage in the season series.The Blue Jays and the Rays play six more times as the season winds down. The teams play three more times in Toronto and have three games left at Tropicana Field, a series that closes out the regular season.After going 0-2 with an 8.68 ERA in his first two major league starts in August, Reid-Foley was returned to Triple-A Buffalo briefly. In his three starts since his return, he is 2-1 with a 3.78 ERA. He has had 10-strikeout games in two of those starts.He has never faced the Rays.Castillo will be opening a game for the 10th time this season in his 41st appearance.He has faced the Blue Jays four times this season, all in relief http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , and is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in 7 2/3 innings.While the Rays are still alive, barely, in the race for a postseason spot, the Blue Jays are using September to give experience to their prospects called up from the minors.“I think the future is bright for us,” Gurriel said through an interpreter. “It’s always nice to have those guys that I played with last year and this year. I’m happy and fortunate to play with those guys and maybe some of them — probably all of them — are going to be my teammates next year. On top of that we got the win. An amazing night and I’m happy for them, too.”Rays manager Kevin Cash said his team needed a lot of help to reach a wild-card spot.“In reality, we’re much farther than people are wanting to recognize,” he said. “We need a lot of things to go in our favor. Losses like this don’t help. … Anytime you’re up 8-2 and find a way to lose the game, that’s tough.” WASHINGTON — The disappointing Washington Nationals close out their home schedule with a three-game series against the Miami Marlins beginning Monday night.After dropping three of four to the fourth-place New York Mets over the weekend, third-place Washington (77-77) needs to go 4-2 this weekend to cap a seventh straight winning season.Miami right-hander Sandy Alcantara (2-1 Charlie Morton Jersey , 2.35) and right-hander Stephen Strasburg (9-7, 3.83) square off in a rematch of a Sept. 18 pairing won by Strasburg and Washington, 4-2. Strasburg allowed two runs on five hits over six innings, while striking out 11 and walking two.Article continues below ...Over his last five starts, Strasburg is 3-0 with a 2.64 ERA and 38 strikeouts.“He’s been really good,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told The Washington Post. “He’s pitching now. He’s mixing all of his pitches in and attacking the strike zone.”Strasburg is 17-7 with a 3.04 ERA in 30 career starts against Miami.Alcantara lasted just four innings against Washington, allowing three earned runs on six hits and six walks in absorbing his first loss of the season.“When we talk about young guys, this is what we see,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We see good and then we see some ones that are not as good. Today, the command didn’t seem to be there. A lot of misses http://www.astrosfanproshop.com/authentic-justin-verlander-jersey , counts get bad and a lot of pitches in a short period of time.“It’s something he’ll be able to learn from and you’ve got to continue to work and be consistent with what you do and that’s what separates the guys who are going to be really good and the guys who are going to be OK.”Miami finished the home portion of its schedule with a 6-0 win over the Reds Sunday, taking three of four in the weekend series. At 62-93 with one game unlikely to be made up, the Marlins should avoid 100 losses but also won’t approach their 77 wins of a year ago.“No matter what, we knew what we were kind of embarking on this year, with a lot of the changes,” Mattingly told mlb.com. “The new direction of the club, under the new ownership. You understand all that. Still, the losses add up, and those are hard to deal with.“But I’ve been proud of the guys. I’ve felt they’ve continued to play hard and continued to give you the effort, and that’s not easy to do when you’re taking that many losses on the chin.”Washington is also playing out the string after being eliminated from postseason contention on Saturday. They lost 8-6 to the Mets in Sunday’s finale.Twenty-five-year-old rookie Erick Fedde Jose Cruz Jr. Jersey , the team’s first-round pick in the 2014 draft, is among those bidding for a 2019 starting rotation spot. Against the Mets Sunday, he lasted only 3 1/3 innings, giving up three runs in a no-decision.In nine starts this season, Fedde has yet to go beyond six innings.“There are times when I’m like: ‘I can pitch at this level, I can be successful and I think I can dominate,'” he told MASN.com. “And then there are times that are like: ‘What are you doing out there?’ But I think that comes with the learning curve, and I just need to make sure that isn’t a very long learning curve.”