Rays Look to Continue Success Against Struggling Blue Jays

After taking two out of three games against the Milwaukee Brewers at home this past weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays look to continue their impressive home campaign with another series victory against the Toronto Blue Jays. First pitch for Game 1 of the series is at 6:40 p.m.

The Rays sit at the top of the AL East with an impressive 34-14 record, while the Blue Jays have fallen to the bottom of the division with a 25-22 record.

Constant Problems for Blue Jays

Toronto has lost their last two series to the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, going 1-6 in the seven game stretch. Despite impressive defensive plays from Kevin Kiermaier and a huge offensive performance from Matt Chapman, Toronto was unable to catch momentum over the weekend, getting swept by Baltimore.

https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/1660356228642471937?s=20

Scoring runs has been the main issue for Toronto and the team continues to waste solid pitching performances from Kevin Gausman and Alex Manoah. Over the past two series against the Yankees and Orioles, the Blue Jays have gone 12-for-74 with runners in scoring position.

If Toronto stands a chance against the top team in the MLB, they are going to have to figure out the offense and take advantage with RISP.

Rays Look to Keep Momentum

Although Tampa Bay lost its final game of the series to the Brewers, Josh Lowe has a .470 batting average with two home runs and six RBIs over his last four games. He continues to impress on the offensive end and has been a game changer for the Rays.

All-Star voting hasn't started yet, but you're going to want to remember the name Josh Lowe. pic.twitter.com/Wk7r9YQ1II

— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) May 21, 2023

The Rays look continue their success into the series against Toronto. However, they’ve experienced struggles in finding an additional consistent starting pitcher. Injuries to the pitching staff has the team going to their bullpen, which has led to the lack of consistency. Despite some pitching issues, the offense makes up for the struggles on the mound, as they still hold the best record in the league.

Game Time

This AL East four-game series begins Monday at 6:40 p.m. Tampa Bay is 21-4 at home this year and looks to continue to dominate at Tropicana Field. Toronto faces a huge challenge in the midst of their offensive slump and hopes to avoid another sweep.