Rays go for sweep of Blue Jays in battle of lefties

The Tampa Bay Rays continue to make all the right plays at just the right times.

Winners of nine straight at home, the sizzling Rays will attempt to sweep the visiting American League East division rival Toronto Blue Jays in Wednesday afternoon's series finale in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Against the vaunted Toronto bullpen in the eighth inning Tuesday, the home side registered four straight hits, including RBI singles by Yandy Diaz and Ben Williamson, to rally for its 10th comeback win, 4-3, tied for the most in the AL -- with the Blue Jays.

"We were just stacking good at-bats, one after another," said Williamson, a middle infielder. "They just got on base and put me in a good position, and the ball found a hole (up the middle)."

In his first season in St. Petersburg, Williamson said the field looks different with runners on the bags.

"I feel like the field shrinks a little bit," he said. "Guys like Chandler (Simpson) are on base causing a lot of havoc, and the field shrinks."

In winning its fifth straight game, Tampa Bay improved to 8-1 in one-run games and is 18-5 in the past 23 outings. The club is 13-4 at home.

However, the organization earlier in the day placed starting pitcher Steven Matz (4-1, 3.86 ERA) on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation.

In contests that Matz and Nick Martinez have started, the Rays are 12-2.

The team called up right-hander Chase Solesky, a native of Fort Pierce, due east across the state from the domed park.

Shane McClanahan (3-2, 3.10) will pitch Wednesday. The left-hander is 4-2 with a 2.44 ERA in eight starts against Toronto.

Toronto skidded to its third straight loss Tuesday by producing eight hits -- with Kazuma Okamoto's homer the only one for extra bases -- and seeing its bullpen fail as Tyler Rogers allowed the tying and game-winning scores.

The club is 6-12 on the road.

Major League Baseball announced its players of the month, and Toronto's Louis Varland was named the American League's Reliever of the Month after an outstanding start.

The right-handed Varland took the reins and helped guide the Blue Jays through the postseason and into the World Series last season, pitching in 15 of the club's 18 playoff games.

He has not let up.

Varland crafted a 0.56 ERA across March and April. He struck out 26 in 16 innings in that time and became the first Toronto reliever to earn the award since Jordan Romano won it twice in 2022.

On the health front, Toronto's Addison Barger (ankle) and starting pitcher Jose Berrios (elbow) have been rehabbing for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons, but the 31-year-old Berrios has pitched poorly.

He allowed seven runs -- four on a grand slam -- in 3 2/3 innings in another subpar outing on Sunday.

Manager John Schneider said Berrios was scheduled for an MRI exam Tuesday.

"Just in talking to him, I think, you know, with his last couple outings, he's not really been where he wanted to be," Schneider said Tuesday. "Results are results, but I think just physically, he was a little bit more sore after his last outing."

Coming off a win in Minnesota on Friday, lefty Patrick Corbin (1-0, 3.65) will go for the Blue Jays. The 36-year-old is 0-2 with a 6.88 ERA in three career starts against the Rays.

--Field Level Media