The Rays have won four of their last five and they get the Blue Jays for three at Tropicana Field starting Monday night. Toronto has been one of the most disappointing teams in the AL East to start the year, and the Trop has been their personal house of horrors for two decades. The vibes do not favor the visitors.
Nick Martinez is the guy on the bump for Tampa, and the line on him so far is absurd: 2-1 with a 1.70 ERA. The Jays counter with a TBD as of the latest probables, which is not exactly the kind of confidence-builder you want when you're trying to snap out of a funk in a building where nothing has come easy historically.
The bigger concern for the Rays right now is the lineup card. Yandy Diaz sat Sunday against the Giants with a side issue and is officially day-to-day, so his status for the opener is the thing to watch when lineups drop. Tampa is also navigating a starting rotation without Ryan Pepiot, who is done for the year after hip surgery scheduled for May 13. That's a real loss that the front office is going to have to address at some point.
- Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart C — no
- Day-To-DayChay Yeager RP — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- Day-To-DayCJ Stubbs C — The Blue Jays signed Stubbs to a minor-league contract Friday that includes an invitation to spring training.
- Day-To-DayJaven Coleman P — no
- 10-Day-ILNathan Lukes RF — Lukes (hamstring) has begun a running progression, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger RF — Manager John Schneider said Barger (ankle) is traveling to Toronto on Friday and will "most likely" be activated off the injured list Saturday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- 10-Day-ILAlejandro Kirk C — Kirk (thumb) is expected to begin hitting this weekend, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMax Scherzer SP — Scherzer was given a cortisone shot in his injured right forearm and will be shut down from throwing for five days, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- Day-To-DayAustin Vernon RP — The Rays have shut Vernon down from throwing due to right elbow soreness, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayTy Johnson SP — Triple-A Durham placed Johnson on the 7-day injured list due to a lower-back strain, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayLogan Driscoll C — The Rays released Driscoll (ankle) on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
- Day-To-DayKeyshawn Askew RP — no
- Day-To-DayTre' Morgan 1B — Triple-A Durham placed Morgan on the 7-day injured list with a quad injury, Sam Dykstra of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- Day-To-DayJohn Rooney RP — The Rays signed Rooney (elbow) to a minor-league contract Nov. 15.
- Day-To-DayTJ Nichols P — Double-A Montgomery placed Nichols on its 7-day injured list April 7 due to an unspecified injury.
Even with the attrition, this is a Rays team that's playing balanced baseball and pitching the absolute pants off the ball. Jonathan Aranda has been carrying a chunk of the offense, and the bullpen has held up despite the IL pile. The schedule has been favorable, sure, but they've also been beating the teams in front of them, which is the only thing you can ask in April and early May.
For Toronto, this is a get-right spot they desperately need. Drop two of three here and they're staring at a long flight home with the same questions everyone has been asking since the season started. The Rays smell that. First pitch 6:40 PM ET.