TORONTO (Interstat) — Griffin Jax pitched six innings of three-hit ball, allowing one earned run and striking out five, as the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 4-2 on Wednesday at Rogers Centre. Jax, who improved to 6-7, surrendered a first-inning run on a groundout that scored Nathan Lukes but settled in from there. Victor Mesa Jr. provided the offensive spark with two singles and two RBIs, tying the game in the second inning with a sharp ground-ball single. The Rays broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth with three runs, including a sacrifice fly by Chandler Simpson and Mesa’s line-drive single to left, followed by Ben Williamson’s bases-loaded walk. Alejandro Kirk homered for Toronto in the seventh, his third of the season, but Bryan Baker worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 26th save, striking out one. The Rays, winners of three straight, improved to 59-42, while Toronto fell to 46-56. Attendance was 42,841. Time of game was 2:39.