ST. PETERSBURG -- The Blue Jays got a quick start from their right-handed-heavy lineup Wednesday afternoon against the Rays. But it turned into a frustrating day at the plate in a 3-2 loss at Tropicana Field.

• Box score

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. led off the game with a double off Rays opener Jalen Beeks. He scored on Teoscar Hernández’s double to give the Blue Jays the lead, and it looked like it might be a good afternoon for the Toronto bats.

But hits were hard to come by for the rest of the afternoon. Rays relievers Ryan Yarbrough, Ryan Thompson, Pete Fairbanks and Jason Adam held the Blue Jays’ powerful lineup to two hits the rest of the way.

The bright spot was Hernández, who hit a solo home run to left field in the fourth inning off Yarbrough to give Toronto a 2-1 lead. It was the sixth time Hernández has homered off Yarbrough -- the most he has against any pitcher.

"I try to see the ball. Obviously, he's pretty good at keeping the ball down," Hernández said. “For the last couple of years I've been having success, but at the beginning of my career I got a lot of strikeouts against him."

Hernández has been a bright spot for several weeks, hitting .329 (25-for-76) with six home runs and 19 RBIs since July 8. He has a specific love for facing the Rays -- he’s batting .342 against them in the past 39 games.

"Right now I'm more patient at the plate," Hernández said. "I'm laying off pitches that would be ground balls and getting good at-bats. I just try to focus on my game and do things to help the team."

While Hernández did what he could, the rest of the Blue Jays’ lineup couldn't match his production.

In the fifth inning, Santiago Espinal drew a leadoff walk, but Raimel Tapia hit a hard liner directly to first baseman Isaac Paredes, who snagged it and easily doubled off Espinal.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a two-out single in the eighth to snap a stretch of nine straight batters retired. Guerrero stole second base, but Alejandro Kirk grounded out.

Meanwhile, the Rays got to Blue Jays starter Yusei Kikuchi with a sacrifice fly from Paredes in the third inning and an RBI forceout by Taylor Walls in the fourth.

"That's part of a baseball, a few base hits and a walk," Kikuchi said through an interpreter. "But the good thing I can take out of today is limiting the damage, although there were a lot of baserunners."

Manager John Schneider said there were plenty of positives to take from Kikuchi's start.

"It was a really good start. He ran into a little trouble in the third, but I liked the command of all three of his pitches," Schneider said. "The confidence is there, the stuff is obviously there and I think he's in a good spot."

The Rays took a 3-2 lead in the sixth inning on David Peralta's RBI single off Adam Cimber that scored José Siri, helping Thompson earn the win with two innings of scoreless relief.

"Thompson really picked us up in a big way with two innings today," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "And just being so efficient. He's been on a really good run here as of late."