The Toronto Blue Jays continued to wait for their playoff fate on Saturday afternoon, facing a 7-5 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. In the 10th inning, Taylor Walls hit a two-run single off Jordan Hicks, leaving the sellout crowd of 42,097 at Rogers Centre stunned. The Rays then added another run on Junior Caminero’s infield single. Chris Devenski was on the mound for Tampa Bay and gave up an RBI double to Bo Bichette in the bottom half of the inning, but he managed to get Kevin Kiermaier on a groundout to end the game.
The loss kept Toronto’s chances of securing a playoff spot at bay, as their magic number remained at one. This means that the regular-season finale on Sunday will be a nail-biting affair for the Blue Jays. However, they are still in a good position to reach the post-season, as they can secure a spot if the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners later on Saturday. Even if that doesn’t happen, the Blue Jays will have another chance to secure a win-and-you’re-in opportunity against the Rays in the regular-season finale on Sunday. Additionally, other results on Sunday could also work in Toronto’s favor. However, the anxiety will only rise from here as the Blue Jays aim to make their third wild-card appearance in the last four years.
Harold Ramirez contributed a home run for the Rays, who out-hit Toronto 14-7. Daulton Varsho was a key player for the Blue Jays, hitting a home run and driving in three runs. However, Toronto’s starter Hyun Jin Ryu had a rough outing, lasting only three innings. Despite this, if the Blue Jays make the post-season, they will open the best-of-three series on Tuesday, either against the Minnesota Twins or the Tampa Bay Rays.
On the other hand, the Rays have already secured the first of the three American League wild-card spots, so they are in playoff tune-up mode. For the game against the Blue Jays, they opted for a bullpen day, with opener Shawn Armstrong starting and six relievers making appearances.
It is highly likely that these two teams will meet next week at Tropicana Field, as the Texas Rangers, Seattle Mariners, and Houston Astros are also vying for AL playoff spots. The Baltimore Orioles have secured the top seed in the AL as the East Division champions, while the Minnesota Twins have clinched the Central Division title and will be seeded third.
Looking back at Saturday’s game, the Rays struck first, scoring a run in the first inning off Ryu. They added another run in the third, extending their lead. However, Varsho hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third to put the Blue Jays on the scoreboard. Toronto went on to have a three-run inning in the fourth, with Varsho driving in two of those runs. The game was tied in the fifth when Ramirez hit a two-run homer off Trevor Richards. Both teams had their opportunities to take the lead, but the game remained tied until the 10th inning when the Rays secured the victory.
Moving forward, the Blue Jays will have a chance to win the season series against the Rays if they can secure a victory on Sunday. The teams have split their 12 head-to-head meetings so far this season. The Blue Jays last won a season series against the Rays in 2017.
The Rays have yet to confirm their starting pitcher for Sunday’s game.