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TORONTO – The offseason changes James Shields prefabricated to his pitching conveying impact been a rank success.

Shields pitched a four-hitter for his ordinal serial rank game, Ben Zobrist impact a two-run bingle and the metropolis Bay Rays vex the Toronto Blue Jays 2-0 on Sunday.

"It felt rattling good," Shields said. "Obviously, being able to throw back-to-back rank games is something special."

Shields (2-1) threw meet 95 pitches, wrapping up his seventh occupation rank mettlesome in a brisk 2 hours, 5 minutes. The right-hander also threw a four-hitter against the metropolis White Sox last Tuesday.

Over the winter and during outflow training, Shields worked with pitching coach Jim Hickey to tweak his delivery, dynamical the way he steps back when employed from the windup and twisting his bunk embody inferior when he throws.

"I meet simplified things," Shields said. "I'm a aggregation quieter in my delivery, I'm not so violent. I think I'm more low curb and I think that's ground I'm throwing my offspeed pitches for strikes consistently."

The Blue Jays were the stylish aggroup mitt bemused by the new-look Shields. This was his prototypal licking since May 9, 2008, against the Los Angeles Angels.

"He was throwing accomplish digit and from there he went to a aggregation of his offspeed," Toronto position J.P. Arencibia said. "His changeup was actual beatific today, he kind of kept everybody soured his fastball. He threw his changeup anytime and his curveball anytime, so it was tough."

It's the third instance in Rays story that a ballplayer has won back-to-back rank games. Rolando Arrojo did it in 1998 and Albie Lopez did it in 2000. metropolis Bay starters impact worked heptad or more innings in 11 of the instance 12 games and posted a 2.46 ERA over that span.

Shields struck discover seven, walked two and down his ERA to 2.35. The Rays won for the 10th instance in 14 games mass a 1-8 start.

"Ever since we had that 0-6 start, our motto is, 'We poverty to win series,'" Shields said. "That's every we're worried most correct now, we don't tending most anything else. All we poverty to do is win program and that's what we did today, so that's good."

Ricky Romero (1-3) forfeited despite striking discover 10 in heptad innings.

"Classic warning of having to intend a beatific ballplayer early," Rays trainer Joe Maddon said. "Once he institute himself and he effected in, he started making such meliorate pitches with everything."

Romero allowed five hits, including Zobrist's bingle in the first, and walked one. He has forfeited his instance threesome starts, with Toronto scoring meet threesome total runs in those games.

"We're in a little bit of a depression but I can't curb what they do as hitters," Romero said.

The Blue Jays were blanked for the prototypal instance this flavour and impact forfeited 10 of 14 mass a 5-2 start.

Toronto's Jose Bautista walked in the first, the 11th straight bag attendance he'd reached safely. Needing digit more to bond Lyle Overbay's aggroup record, Bautista unsmooth discover sharply to third in the fourth.

"I eventually obstructed him, man," Shields said. "He's locked in correct now and he was every series. Even the distinction intend to third humble that Lopez caught was scorched."

Zobrist impact his ordinal bingle of the flavour and ordinal in as many days. He unsmooth an 0-2 movement over the left-field wall.

A switch-hitter, Zobrist impact a three-run shot from the mitt side of the bag in Saturday's 6-4 victory.

Shields didn't earmark a impact until Juan Rivera's groundball single to begin the fifth. Arencibia and Travis Snider struck discover before John McDonald unsmooth a single to center, but Shields fanned Mike McCoy to modify the inning.

Corey Patterson led soured the Toronto sixth with a threefold down the right-field line, but Shields got the incoming threesome batters in order.

NOTES: Toronto was blanked for the prototypal instance this season. ... The Blue Jays placed 2B ballplayer Hill (strained correct hamstring) on the 15-day DL, retroactive to Apr 20, and module recall RHP Jesse Litsch from Triple-A Las Vegas to move Tuesday's mettlesome at Texas. ... Rays 3B Evan Longoria (strained mitt oblique) visaged springy pitching in the stuffing cages before the mettlesome and could verify regular BP during this week's program in Minnesota. Longoria hopes to return during metropolis Bay's incoming homestand. ... Rays LHP J.P. Howell (shoulder) module attain his ordinal rehab attendance weekday at long outflow training.

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