The Toronto Blue Jays will look to increase a pair of profitable streaks once they open a three-game sequence in opposition to the host Tampa Bay Rays on Friday.
The Blue Jays recorded their third win in a row on Thursday afternoon with a 7-6, 11-inning victory over the slumping San Diego Padres.
Daulton Varsho adopted up his grand slam in Toronto’s 14-0 romp on Wednesday by coming by means of within the eleventh inning of the sequence finale. He ripped a game-tying triple and scored on Nathan Lukes’ single to push the Blue Jays again above .500 for the season.
“We simply stored taking part in our sport,” Varsho advised Sportsnet. “We have been hitting balls laborious, and clearly typically it goes proper at folks. We simply should keep it up.
“We’ve good approaches all the best way up and down the lineup. Pitching’s been nice (and the) protection has been superior. Simply maintain doing that and we will win lots of ballgames.”
Anthony Santander’s availability for the sequence opener is in query, nevertheless. The Toronto designated hitter left the Wednesday sport due to irritation in his left hip, and he sat out on Thursday.
The Blue Jays carry a four-game highway profitable streak into Friday, once they begin a six-game trek that takes them to Tampa Bay and Texas.
Toronto will flip to left-hander Eric Lauer (1-0, 2.25 ERA) to start out in opposition to Rays right-hander Drew Rasmussen (2-4, 2.93).
Lauer allowed one run on three hits in three innings throughout a no-decision in opposition to the Detroit Tigers on Saturday.
Lauer, 29, is 0-1 with an 8.76 ERA in three profession appearances vs. Tampa Bay.
The Rays, who gained two of three video games in Toronto from Could 13-15, enter the weekend sequence on the heels of two straight victories.
Josh Lowe belted one in every of Tampa Bay’s 4 homers in an 8-4 conquer the visiting Houston Astros on Wednesday. He was out for six weeks resulting from a strained proper indirect earlier than returning to face Toronto on Could 15. In that sport, he went 3-for-5 with a solo homer and three runs as Tampa Bay gained 8-3.
“After we win video games, it is going to include guys getting massive hits with guys on base. It’s good to have it go in our course (with residence runs),” Rays supervisor Kevin Money mentioned Wednesday. “It is a completely different lineup with Josh again, and he actually helps.”
Brandon Lowe homered twice and had 4 RBIs within the Could 15 sport in opposition to the Blue Jays. He additionally went deep on Wednesday — back-to-back with Josh Lowe within the fifth inning — to increase his hitting streak to 5 video games.
“It is fairly cool,” Josh Lowe mentioned. “I feel we had been saying that is the primary time we have gone back-to-back earlier than, so Lowe and Lowe getting the job executed there.”
Rasmussen snapped a seven-game winless streak with a dominating efficiency within the Rays’ 4-0 victory over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. He yielded 4 hits and no walks whereas placing out 5 over six scoreless innings for his first win since March 31.
“He had every thing going, actually massive fastball, four-seamer, two-seamer,” Money mentioned of Rasmussen. “He commanded the ball actually, very well. It was a fantastic begin by him.”
Rasmussen, 29, historically hasn’t been as profitable in opposition to the Blue Jays. He’s 1-4 with a 3.00 ERA in 10 profession appearances (eight begins) vs. Toronto.
–Subject Degree Media