The Rays are 22-12 and playing like a team that doesn't particularly care who's on the other side of the field. They took the series opener Monday 5-1 behind a Ryan Vilade 3-run homer in the first and a Taylor Walls 2-run single in the sixth. That's 10 wins in their last 11 and a club sitting 1.5 back of the Yankees in the East.
Toronto, meanwhile, is 16-19 and stuck in the mud. Kevin Gausman gets the ball trying to stop the bleeding, and the splitter has actually been doing its job — 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP through 40.2 innings. The problem is the lineup behind him hasn't shown up consistently, and the Rays are not the team you want to face when you're searching for a heater.
Drew Rasmussen counters for Tampa with a 2.64 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP across 30.2 innings. He's the exact kind of strike-thrower that turns a Blue Jays lineup that doesn't walk much into a quick night for the bullpen. The Rays have won each of their last 9 night games against AL opponents — that is not a typo, and it is not the streak the Jays want to be staring down.
Tampa is laying -1.5 at -122 on the moneyline, with the total parked at 7. The market clearly likes the home side here, and the DK splits agree — 64% of moneyline bets are on the Rays. Nothing in the EV column is screaming bargain, but if you're betting the side you trust to score 4 right now, that's pretty obviously the team in powder blue.
- 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-DayTJ Nichols P — Double-A Montgomery placed Nichols on its 7-day injured list April 7 due to an unspecified injury.
- Day-To-DayTre' Morgan 1B — Triple-A Durham activated Morgan (quadricep) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday.
- Day-To-DayAlfredo Zarraga RP — no
- Day-To-DayKeyshawn Askew RP
- 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
- Day-To-DayJohn Rooney RP — The Rays signed Rooney (elbow) to a minor-league contract Nov. 15.
- Day-To-DayLogan Driscoll C — The Rays released Driscoll (ankle) on Friday, Ryan Bass of FanDuel Sports Network Sun reports.
The IL list is long but mostly old news at this point: Pepiot is done for the year after May 13 hip surgery, Joe Boyle and Mason Englert are both starting rehab assignments at Triple-A Durham, and Gavin Lux is also working his way back through Durham. Kevin Cash has had to mix and match the rotation around it and the team is somehow 22-12 anyway. That's the story of this Rays team right now — they don't care what the roster looks like, they keep winning.