Blue Jays Series Preview: Jays return home vs. Tampa Bay Rays

It seems as if the Blue Jays and Rays have played each other quite a lot this season. In fact, it’s just the third time that these two teams will meet before they meet again from August 14-17 in Toronto.

For the Toronto Blue Jays (31-32), they are now the only team in the AL East without a winning record. They will look to get above .500 with a two-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays (34-32) at the Rogers Centre.

The Blue Jays are 17-14 at home, however, they are 11-18 against the AL East. To make it into a positive, the Jays are 10-6 since Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki both returned from injuries.

What You Need To Know

TV: Sportsnet One, Sportsnet

Radio: Sportsnet 590 The FAN

Probable Starters

Tuesday, June 13 7:07 p.m. ET

RHP Marco Estrada (4-4, 4.04 ERA) vs. Jacob Faria (1-0, 1.42 ERA)

Estrada has had a pair of rough outings after an impressive start to the season. He’s allowed 11 earned runs on 16 hits while striking out 12 batters against the New York Yankees and the Oakland Athletics.

Odorizzi tied a season-high eight strikeouts in his last start on June 8. He has been sharp with 22 strikeouts, 10 earned runs on 24 hits in his previous four starts.

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Wednesday, June 14 7:07 p.m. ET

LHP Francisco Liriano (3-2, 5.86 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Odorizzi (4-3, 3.59 ERA)

Liriano has gone five innings in both of his starts since returning from the DL almost two weeks ago. He picked a win against the Yankees on June 2 as he will look for his fourth win of the season.

Cobb pitched six innings with five strikeouts and one earned run on four hits against the A’s. His changeup has improved over the course of his last four starts.

Players to Watch

Justin Smoak and Evan Longoria

Smoak is among the best hitters at first base in the AL. His 18 home runs have him two shy of tying his career-high 20 home runs. The switch-hitter has an outstanding slash line of 2.95/.357/.599/.956.

Longoria is fresh off hitting his 250th career home run over the weekend. The third baseman is lighting up his bat in June with a slash line of .325/.341/.540/.791.

Next: Blue Jays select UNC shortstop Logan Warmoth

After the two-game series wraps up, the Blue Jays will have the day off on Thursday before they face the Chicago White Sox for a three-game series starting Friday night at the Rogers Centre.