TORONTO (AP) -- In their sixth straight loss, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays got some good news: Reliever Edwin Jackson felt fine after
being hit in the back of the head by a line drive.
Jackson was forced to leave Saturday's game in the eighth inning
after being struck by Adam Lind's drive. The Toronto Blue Jays beat
Tampa Bay 6-1.
"It's nothing. It feels like I got punched in the back of the
head," Jackson said.
A Blue Jays doctor examined Jackson and said he was OK.
"I didn't fall down and I still knew what was going on,"
Jackson said. "I had memory of everything that happened before and
after."
Lind's liner caromed into foul territory by third base and went
for a double.
"The sound of the ball hitting him, it sounded awful," Lind
said.
Jackson grabbed at the back of his head and quickly left the
mound. Worried teammates rushed to his side, but Jackson walked to
the dugout and didn't look woozy.
"That was scary. Some people just don't come back from that,"
teammate Delmon Young said. "A lot of things can go wrong when you
get hit with that velocity in the back of the head. It's a good
thing he's all right. He'll be back on the mound in a couple of
days."
Last month, Seattle reliever Rafael Soriano was hit in the head
by Vladimir Guerrero's line drive in a game against the Angels.
Soriano sustained a mild concussion and was finished for the
season.
Jackson said he struck above his left eye by a liner when he was
16 years old. He had six stitches and still has a scar from it.
Ted Lilly (14-12) won his fourth straight decision. The
left-hander, who is eligible for free agency this offseason,
allowed one run and six hits in six innings.
"I expected to do more this year than last," said Lilly, who
went 10-11 with a 5.56 ERA last year.
Young had three hits. He also threw out Jason Phillips at the
plate on the fly from right field.
Phillips' RBI ground-rule double and Reed Johnson's run-scoring
single gave Toronto a 2-0 lead in the second.
Dioner Navarro's RBI single cut the lead to 2-1 in the fourth,
but Toronto put the game away in the sixth with the four runs.
Vernon Wells led off with a walk and Troy Glaus chased starter
Jay Howell (0-3) with a double off the wall in center.
Bengie Molina followed with a grounder to third baseman B.J.
Upton, whose throw to first sailed over the first baseman's head
and allowed Wells to score.
Lind's pinch-hit single off Jon Switzer scored Toronto's fourth
run. John McDonald followed with a bloop, two-run double to give
Toronto a 6-1 lead.
Game notes
Toronto RF Alex Rios has not had an at-bat in seven games.
... Young has hit in 10 straight games. ... Tampa Bay's Thomas
Perez stumbled and fell just before he reached third on Young's
single in the third. His teammates chuckled. ... Lilly won for the
first time in four starts against Tampa Bay.