After snapping a five-game losing streak, the Tampa Bay Rays will now try to start building a winning streak Tuesday night against the host Toronto Blue Jays.
The Rays took the opener of a four-game series 7-1 Monday to drop the Blue Jays to eight games below .500.
The Rays have dominated the Blue Jays this season, leading the season series 6-1. They are first in the American League East, 11 1/2 games ahead of the last-place Rays.
The Blue Jays have started an important seven-game homestand 1-3. The Rays are 1-4 on their eight-game road trip.
The presence of Dylan Cease on the mound gave the Blue Jays hope of starting the series out with a win. But besides not being able to hit, the Blue Jays had trouble catching the ball and were charged with three errors on Monday.
As a result, two of the five runs allowed by Cease were unearned.
“It’s on us,” Cease said. “It’s not the coaches. It’s not anybody else. We’re just not playing up to our potential right now. So it’s frustrating, but we have each other’s backs. We’re going to keep fighting.”
The Blue Jays have scored two runs over their past three games. And the Rays are not a good opponent for a team that is pressing and battling frustration.
“The way that the Rays play puts pressure on you,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “They do all the little things pretty well, whether it’s getting a bunt down, stealing a base. We talked about it before the series, we know they’re going on contact, and it forces you to be perfect.”
The Blue Jays are slated to pin their hopes Tuesday on right-hander Kevin Gausman (4-8, 4.33 ERA). In 28 career games (26 starts) against the Rays, Gausman is 8-10 with a 4.26 ERA and 153 strikeouts in 148 innings. He is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in in two starts against the Rays this season.
Right-hander Drew Rasmussen (7-5, 3.26) is the probable starter for the Rays. In 13 career games (11 starts) against Toronto, he is 3-4 with 3.00 ERA. He is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in two starts against the Blue Jays this season.
The Rays got a solid six innings from starter Nick Martinez in the opener. Unlike Cease, he had some run support. Victor Mesa Jr., Cedric Mullins and Nick Fortes hit solo homers for the Rays. Junior Caminero was 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
“Top to bottom, we had a bunch of contributions, and needed guys to feel good about themselves,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Mesa has homered in three consecutive games.
“I feel like we needed this one,” Mesa said. “I felt like we need that confidence back. We never stop believing. We know the team that we are, and the work will never stop. Let’s keep working and let’s do our job. Let’s keep being the team that we are. We’re back. We’re back on track. We turned around, and this is the way.”
The Blue Jays are going in the opposite direction. They thought they had turned it around on June 22 when they reached .500, but they are 7-15 since.
“Losing is definitely disappointing,” Cease said. “I think it’s just frustrating when it doesn’t feel like we’re giving teams our best bullets. We have to let go of the past and show up tomorrow ready to play.”
–Field Level Media
