TORONTO - The Tampa Bay Rays' first meaningful September isn't going very well. As for Blue Jays catcher Gregg Zaun, he's just happy his miserable August is behind him.
Zaun hit a game-ending grand slam in the 13th inning yesterday, enabling Toronto to beat the Rays, 7-4, and extend its season-high winning streak to seven.
The Rays are 1-4 this month, allowing the Red Sox to nibble away at their lead in the AL East, but manager Joe Maddon isn't worried about his young team.
"You're going to lose games like this," Maddon said. "When you get into the playoffs, you're going to lose some tough games and you've got to come back tomorrow. That's why it's 162, that's why they call it a grind.
"Sometimes you get your heart broken for about 30 minutes, but you've got to put it back together, come back tomorrow and play another game . . . and that's what we'll do."
The Rays won a franchise-record 21 games in August, but have stumbled since, dropping back-to-back series for the first time since a seven-game losing streak immediately before the All-Star break. Until losing two of three to the Yankees last week, Tampa Bay hadn't lost a series in the second half.
The Rays retained their 2 1/2-game lead when the Red Sox were outslugged by the Texas Rangers, 15-8, last night.
Despite the loss, Maddon's optimism was echoed in the clubhouse.
"We were playing very well and we ran into the Yankees and they took two of three from us," outfielder Rocco Baldelli said. "That happens. It's such a small sample size the last four or five games, you can't let five games symbolize the way the season is going. We feel like we're going to come out tomorrow and win."
Closer Troy Percival (2-1) served up Zaun's slam, but said he expects the Rays to bounce back.
"We've been counted out all season, we were supposed to come in last place all season and we've been pretty defiant," Percival said.
Lyle Overbay added two solo homers for Toronto, which matched its longest winning streak since Sept. 22-29, 2002.
Tampa Bay had tied the game with three runs in the ninth and Dioner Navarro's RBI single off Brian Tallet (1-1) in the 13th inning gave the Rays a 4-3 lead. But Toronto rallied against Percival in the bottom half.
Vernon Wells and Brad Wilkerson got it started with consecutive one-out singles. Overbay grounded into a fielder's choice and Scott Rolen walked before Zaun delivered his sixth homer of the season and fourth career slam.
"I was trying to go with a fastball away right there and I pulled it across the plate," Percival said. "Missed location, bad pitch."
Zaun finished 3 for 5, picking up his first hit since July 30. He went 0 for 19 in eight August appearances.