Toronto Blue Jays Series Preview and Pitching Matchups: Rays @ Jays

Across the Diamond

The Jays staff has been excellent, but the Rays has arguably been even better lately. They’ve posted a 2.21 ERA 3.06 FIP over the last two weeks, much better than the 4.17 and 4.11 full season numbers they’ve put together.

Odorizzi and Smyly have each put together three excellent starts in a row, and Chris Archer has been much better in July and August than he was earlier in the year. On top of that, Blake Snell has been solid since joining the rotation, and he boasts very good stuff.

The 45-65 record they have is very disappointing, but there pitching has taken a big turnaround from earlier in the year, and their pitching staff has the potential to shut down any offence, especially one that is struggling.

On the offensive side of things, the Rays consistently have a difficult time putting enough runs on the board. Evan Longoria, Logan Forsythe, and Brad Miller have put together strong campaigns and can provide difficulty for opposing pitchers.

Steven Souza Jr. and Corey Dickerson have some power, but they have too many holes in their offensive games to be a problem for pitchers.

Outside of those names, they don’t have a ton of talent in the lineup, and they shouldn’t pose a big threat to the Jays staff that comes into the series on a roll.

Next: Odorizzi enters game one with big scoreless innings streak