"At times, just getting CF B.J. Upton to run hard has been an accomplishment.

In Sunday's 9-3 loss, he showed a glimpse of what's possible when he puts his blazing speed to work, hustling to stretch a single into a double, then breaking from third and scoring when Blue Jays C J.P. Arencibia threw to first after a dropped third strike.

"Loved it," Rays manager Joe Maddon. "All those little things on the bases matter. … Those reads, those aggressive reads, make a huge difference in winning one-run games. We talk about it every day. So I'm pleased that he's doing it."

Upton said it's part an overall effort to be more aggressive on the bases.

"Definitely, you've got to take advantage of every situation," Upton said. "The main thing is score as many runs as possible."

Upton has talked with bench coach Dave Martinez about trying to steal third more often — he did it a team-record 12 times last season — and has his sights on his first 50-steal season.

"That's the plan," Upton said. "I'm going to try to get there.""