Rays edge Jays 5-4 as Sonnanstine wins 4th straight start

Toronto Blue Jays Vernon Wells beats the throw from the outfield for a triple as Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Evan Longoria, left, waits for the ball during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Toronto on Tuesday, May 6, 2008. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

TORONTO—Andy Sonnanstine won his fourth straight start, Eric Hinske homered, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Blue Jays 5-4 on Tuesday night, snapping Toronto's five-game winning streak.

Sonnanstine (5-1) allowed four runs and 10 hits in six innings, becoming the fastest five-game winner in Tampa Bay's 11-year history. He walked one and struck out two.

Sonnanstine is 4-0 against American League East opponents and has not lost since April 9 against Seattle. He has a 2.45 ERA in his past four starts.

Dan Wheeler worked the seventh and eighth while Troy Percival pitched the ninth for his seventh save.

The Rays broke a three-game losing streak, while the Blue Jays lost for the first time since April 30 at Boston.

Hinske, a rookie of the year with Toronto in 2002, crushed an A.J. Burnett (3-3) pitch off the centerfield restaurant in the sixth for his seventh homer.

Toronto shortstop John McDonald had to be carted off the field after injuring his right ankle in the sixth, just one inning after coming on to replace David Eckstein, who left with a sore groin.

Marco Scutaro replaced McDonald, who appeared to roll over on his right ankle as he tried to come up with Gabe Gross' grounder. McDonald fell to the ground in pain, clutching his lower leg.

Burnett gave up five runs and nine hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out 10, but failed to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season.

The Rays took a 3-0 lead in the third on RBI singles by Akinori Iwamura and B.J. Upton, and a sacrifice fly by Carl Crawford.

Toronto replied with two runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI double by Eckstein and a sacrifice fly by Scott Rolen.

The Blue Jays tied it at 3-all in the fourth when Vernon Wells tripled and scored on Lyle Overbay's sacrifice fly, but Iwamura doubled home a run on the fifth and Hinske homered in the sixth.

Toronto cut it to 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth. Wells led off with a single and scored when Overbay doubled off the top of the wall in center.

A promotion that offered upper deck seats for $2 swelled attendance to 30,397, while a ban on alcohol sales in those seats prevented a repeat of the fist fights that marred the last $2 promotion, April 8 against Oakland.

Notes:@ Carlos Pena went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. ... OF Cliff Floyd (right knee) could rejoin the Rays as early as this weekend, manager Joe Maddon said. INF Ben Zobrist (left thumb) will have pins removed from his hand Monday and is expected back shortly afterward. ... RHP Al Reyes (right shoulder) threw from flat ground Tuesday and will play catch in the outfield again Wednesday before he tries throwing from a mound.

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