Toronto's night got worse from there. The Blue Jays committed 3 errors behind Cease, the kind of sloppy defense a last-place club can't afford against a first-place opponent. A lineup already without Anthony Santander, Addison Barger and Lenyn Sosa needed a clean night in the field to stay competitive, and it didn't get one.
Martinez, meanwhile, did just enough to get through his outing and hand the ball to a Rays bullpen that made the 7-1 final hold up without much drama. Tampa Bay's five-game losing streak had been the story of their week, with four straight losses in Boston piling up right before this series, but a laugher in Toronto is exactly the kind of get-right game a first-place team needs.
The Rays still sit atop the AL East at 56-42 even with the recent stumble, and this win is a reminder of why: even a shaky week doesn't change the talent gap between this roster and a Blue Jays team stuck in last place at 46-53. Toronto had won just once in its previous five games coming in, and this one did nothing to change that trend.