The Tampa Bay Rays are absolutely rolling, trying to put the final nail in the coffin for an AL East rival today! They’re looking to complete a series sweep against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre, kicking off at 3:07 p.m. ET. These Rays are 59-42 and just cleaning up, especially after they got swept by the Boston Red Sox to start the second half of the season. Talk about taking out your frustrations!
Tampa Bay Is Absolutely Crushing Toronto
Seriously, the Rays have outscored the Blue Jays 23-5 in the first three games of this series. They’d already taken five of six meetings against Toronto in the first half of the season, too. This team is *on fire* and it’s making them look like a division leader, holding a 2.5-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East. Toronto, on the other hand? Rough. They’ve dropped seven of their last eight contests, including five of six since the All-Star break. Their offense is just stuck in the mud, right? They’re the lowest-scoring team in the majors with only 402 runs, and they’ve only crossed the plate 10 times in their last six games. Just once have they scored more than two runs in those six games!
Remember that one game? The Rays are 5-1 at Rogers Centre this season, with that single loss being an extra-innings heartbreaker. They had a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning, then were up 3-1 in the tenth before Daulton Varsho absolutely blasted a one-out grand slam to snatch the victory for the Blue Jays. Even *that* wasn’t enough to turn things around in the series!
Other Matchups Worth Keeping an Eye On
Beyond the AL East showdown, there are a few other games on Thursday’s MLB schedule. We’ve got the Kansas City Royals (43-60) and Detroit Tigers (48-54) kicking off a four-game series at Comerica Park at 6:40 p.m. ET. The Royals are feeling good after sweeping the San Francisco Giants and winning five of six since the All-Star break. But don’t forget, the Tigers took all three home games against Kansas City back in April.
Then there’s a makeup game happening at Busch Stadium at 5:15 p.m. ET between the St. Louis Cardinals (52-49) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (53-49). This one was supposed to happen on June 25. The Diamondbacks have had the Cardinals’ number lately, winning two of three in St. Louis prior to that postponement, and then doing it again at home last weekend. Arizona’s on a roll with four wins in their last five games. St. Louis just barely snapped a four-game slide by edging the Los Angeles Angels 1-0 yesterday.
So, today’s schedule is set, with some big money line favorites out there. The Rays are sitting at -111 against the Blue Jays. The Tigers are huge -222 favorites over the Royals, and the Cardinals are -124 favorites against the Diamondbacks. Can the Rays finish the sweep? Will the Blue Jays find *any* offense? These games are going to be wild!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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