Tampa Bay Rays Win Third Straight, Clinch Series Over Blue Jays

The Tampa Bay Rays are back. 

The team picked up their third straight win and snagged the series win after a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. They add more of a cushion to their AL East lead as the MLB Trade Deadline nears. 

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Here is what you need to know from the contest. 

Griffin Jax Rebounds

After a rough outing to begin the second half of the season for the Rays last week, Griffin Jax bounced back nicely with a quality start against the Blue Jays. The Tampa Bay pitcher went six strong innings and only allowed one run off 3 hits. He also struck out five in the outing.

The bullpen only allowed one run when Cam Booser let a solo homer fly at the Rogers Centre by Blue Jays catcher Alejandro Kirk, but that was the only damage. Bryan Baker picked up his 26th save of the season with another solid, hitless final inning.

When pitching is on, the Rays win. Seems like something they have to make sure they have a lot of come the trade deadline on August 3rd.

Bats Did Enough, Got Lucky Too

The Rays offense did exactly what they needed to get the job done on Wednesday night and might have even had a little bit of help along with it. 

Chandler Simpson and Victor Mesa Jr. both had good games driving in runs and being solid at the plate against Blue Jays pitching. Toronto’s defense continued to struggle this series with their gloves and picked up their 6th error in the last 3 games, helping the Rays drive in a run and keep a strong sixth inning alive. 

The only major concern of the night was the top of the order. Yandy Diaz and Jonathan Aranda still are not where they need to be following the All-Star Break. Although they have shown flashes in this series, they struggled Wednesday night as they went a combined 0 for 9 with 5 strikeouts in the game. 

The team now moves to 59-42, and holds a 2.5 game lead over the New York Yankees. They will look for the series sweep on Thursday before heading back home for a 9-game homestand at Tropicana Field. Ian Seymour (6-2, 4.79 ERA) will get the start for the Rays and will face right-hander Shane Bieber (1-1, 5.70 ERA) for the Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07 PM EST.

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