ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- After 11 innings of nearly flawless pitching by both teams, Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Chris Colabello picked a perfect time to swing for the fences.

Colabello hit a solo home run to right-center field off Rays reliever Brandon Gomes in the 12th inning to lift the Blue Jays to a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Wednesday.

The win moved Toronto (39-35) within two games of Tampa Bay (41-33) for first place in the American League East.

Colabello's 410-foot blast ended an exciting battle between pitching staffs that included another strong outing from Blue Jays right-hander Marco Estrada, who took a perfect game into the eighth inning.

"Both teams were great; it was a tough ballgame," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "Marco has been on some kind of a roll, you know. He's an old veteran war horse. He just keeps plowing along. Colabello had a tough day at the plate, and he gets that home run to put us up. You never know with this game."

Estrada cruised through the first six innings and then needed a couple of nice defensive plays from left fielder Joey Bautista and third baseman Josh Donaldson to keep the perfect game alive. Donaldson dived into the stands to make a catch on a pop-up by left fielder David DeJesus in the eighth inning.

"I thought it was pretty neat; you don't get that opportunity very often," Donaldson said. "Fortunately it was still during a critical part of the game. Marco still had the no-hitter. I was just trying to do anything I can to help him get outs at the time."

The perfect game was lost on the next batter when Rays second baseman Logan Forsythe ran out an infield chopper to third in the bottom of the eighth for the team's first hit.

"It was a little frustrating (to lose the no-hitter) on that play because the ball wasn't hit very hard," Estrada said. "I thought Donaldson made a great play, but that guy could run a little bit. In the ninth inning, I gave up a hard-hit single to (Kevin) Kiermaier and that made me feel a little better."

Estrada went 8 2/3 innings and struck out 10 on a career-high 129 pitches (87 strikes).

"He had his really good stuff working," Forsythe said. "His changeup was really good, and I was just trying to get the barrel on the ball."

According to Elias Sports Bureau, the 31-year-old Estrada became the first pitcher to take a no-hitter into the eighth inning in consecutive starts since Dave Stieb did it with Toronto in 1988. He also no-hit the Baltimore Orioles through seven innings in a 5-4 win on June 19; he left after giving up a leadoff single in the eighth.

On Wednesday, Rays starter Nathan Karns struck out five over six scoreless innings, giving up three hits and walking three.

"It's a tough ballclub," Karns said. "I was trying to do my best to keep the team in the game. Marco is on one heck of a roll there."

Blue Jays reliever Brett Cecil (2-4) loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning but retired DeJesus on a grounder to short to get the win. Steve Delabar pitched a perfect 12th inning to earn his first save of the season.

"Both teams probably had some opportunities, didn't capitalize and -- go figure -- a solo home run is basically what wins it," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "Nate Karns was outstanding and our bullpen was great, especially against the lineup they have over there."

NOTES: Blue Jays manager John Gibbons says 2B Devon Travis should return to the team Friday. He has been on the disabled list with a shoulder injury since May 16. ... Rays RHP Matt Moore will make his final rehab start for Triple-A Durham on Friday and next week will make his first major-league start since April 7, 2014. "We expect him to come back and give us a huge boost, but we're going to have to do it with controlled thoughts," Cash said. "We want him to be able to help us into September, for sure. He's coming back from an injury where he hasn't pitched in two years." ... Rays OF Steven Souza Jr. had the day off but came in as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth and struck out.