Kevin Gausman gives John Schneider the ball first as the Blue Jays line up for a tough 3-game set against the Rays.
Toronto's projected starters for the series are set: Gausman on Monday, Patrick Corbin on Tuesday, and Dylan Cease on Wednesday.
The Rays are scheduled to answer with Drew Rasmussen, Shane McClanahan, and Griffin Jax. That is not a soft landing for a Blue Jays club trying to build on its weekend push.
Monday is the cleanest tone-setter. Gausman enters at 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA, while Rasmussen brings a 2.95 ERA into Rogers Centre.
That matchup feels tight from the jump. Gausman has given Toronto needed stability, and opening this series with a strong start would keep the bullpen from getting dragged early.
Tuesday shifts the look. Corbin is lined up against McClanahan, and that puts a left-on-left duel on the card with very different pressure attached.
McClanahan has been sharp at 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA, while Corbin comes in at 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA. For Toronto, that game looks like the one where execution has to carry more weight than margin for error.
-
The Blue Jays will need more than one good start
Wednesday could be the swing game of the set, especially if the series is still split. Cease brings the biggest strikeout number of the group at 66, and Toronto will need that version of him against a Rays club that keeps forcing clubs to cover the full field.
Jax is the less established name in this matchup, but his presence says plenty about Tampa Bay's pitching depth. Even with a 5.00 ERA, he gives the Rays a different shape after Rasmussen and McClanahan.
That is what makes this series tougher than a quick glance suggests. Toronto is not just facing 3 starters. It is dealing with 3 different game plans in 3 straight nights.
For Schneider, the order of his own starters matters too. Gausman can settle a series, Corbin has to keep the game from getting away, and Cease is lined up to attack the back end with power stuff.
There is also some pressure attached to the home side here. The Blue Jays are 18-21, while the Rays arrive at 25-13, so this is a real chance to make up ground instead of just holding place.
That is why the projected starters matter more than a routine preview. Toronto's path through this series is right there on the mound, and it starts with Gausman trying to grab control before the Rays can.
If the Blue Jays are going to turn a good weekend into something bigger, this rotation turn has to give them a real push. Against this Tampa Bay setup, there is not much room for a flat start.
Will the Blue Jays win this 3-game series against the Rays?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Blue Jays announce MRI update on Addison Barger
