TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:
THE LATEST: The Blue Jays played tied baseball with the Orioles through 10 innings yesterday before allowing the O’s to put up a five-spot in the 11th, leading to an 8-3 defeat…Fell to 4-4 in extra-inning games…The 11 frames were their most in a game since playing 11 on Aug. 29, 2022 vs. CHC…Their eight extra-innings contests are the most in the Majors. Toronto was swept for the 3rd time this season…Has dropped six of its last seven contests…Has lost consecutive series for the 1st time this year…Finished its 10-day, 10-game homestand at 4-6.
BATT CLAPMAN: Matt Chapman brought home the 1st run of the game yesterday with a solo shot to center field in the 2nd inning…Marked his 6th home run of the season and first since April 18 at HOU…Later tied the match at 2’s with a sacrifice fly to left field in the 7th as he finished 1-for-3 with a walk. The third baseman leads all MLB hitters with 19 doubles this season (2nd: Freddie Freeman – 17) while tied for 3rd with 25 extra-base hits…Among AL batters, ranks 6th in hits (52), 8th in OPS (.895), 10th in AVG (.301), and 10th in OBP (.381)…Continues to lead all MLB hitters in hard-hit percentage (63.6) this season (2nd: Aaron Judge – 61.1) while 3rd in barrel rate (14.7%), T-3rd in hard-hit balls (77) and 6th in average exit velocity (94.4 MPH).
MULTI-TALENTED: Bo Bichette singled in the 1st, 7th, and 9th innings yesterday, finishing 3-for-5…His seven games with 3+ hits are tied with Dansby Swanson for the most in the Majors…His 18 multi-hit games are tied with Marcus Semien for the most in the AL (T-3rd in MLB). The 25-year-old leads all MLB hitters with 64 hits (2nd: Ronald Acuña Jr. – 62) and leads the AL with 101 total bases (2nd: Luis Robert Jr. – 99)…Has now gone 64-for-200 (.320) with 10 doubles, nine homers, and 30 RBI while playing in all 47 games this season… The .320 batting average trails only Yandy Díaz (.329) for the best in the AL.
A QUALITY GUY: Kevin Gausman threw a season-high-tying 8.0 innings yesterday, allowing two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four…Threw a total of 115 pitches (77 strikes), his most in a game since Aug. 26, 2017 at BOS (117)…Has made eight quality starts this season, tied for the Major League lead…Has recorded an AL-high 81 strikeouts (2nd: Shohei Ohtani – 80), which is also the most ever by a Blue Jay in his first 10 games of a season (2nd: Roger Clemens – 76 in 1997).
SPRINGER HAS SPRUNG: George Springer singled twice and walked yesterday, going 2-for-5 with a run scored…Was his 10th multi-hit effort of the year and his 3rd in the last three days… Went 13-for-41 (.317) with a double, two home runs, six RBI, and five walks during the 10-game homestand (.879 OPS).
HOUNDING HISTORY: Chris Bassitt enters tonight’s outing with a career-best scoreless innings streak of 27.0, the longest active streak in the Majors…Is also the 2nd-longest single-season streak in franchise history (Roger Clemens: 33.0 IP from Aug. 15-Sep. 5, 1998), and the 3rd-longest overall (Dave Stieb: 34.0 IP from Sept. 13, 1988-April 5, 1989)…Over his last eight starts, has posted a 5-1 record and a 1.71 ERA (10 ER/52.2 IP) while keeping hitters to a .136 AVG.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: The Blue Jays are beginning a seven-day, seven-game road trip…After this four-game set in Tampa Bay, will head to Minnesota (25-22) for three contests over the weekend…Own a 12-13 road record this year for a .480 win% (9th in the AL). Blue Jays hitters rank 4th in the AL in road AVG (.255), 5th in road OBP (.331), 3rd in road SLG (.418), and 4th in road OPS (.755)…The pitching staff ranks 12th in the AL in road ERA (4.78), 14th in road opponents’ batting average (.268), and 14th in road WHIP (1.39).
NATE HAS A NUMBER: Nathan Lukes made his 2nd career start yesterday (also April 19 at HOU)…Recorded his 1st Major League hit with a single in the 4th inning off starting pitcher Dean Kremer.
QUITE A STRETCH: The Blue Jays are in the midst of playing 17 games in 17 days, their most consecutive days with scheduled games this season…Have gone 4-6 so far…Their opponents over this 17-game stretch (ATL, NYY, BAL, TB, MIN) have a combined record of 148-89 (.624).
NO DONUTS DIET: The Blue Jays have notched 420 hits so far this season, 5th most in the AL…Are also 5th in the AL in team AVG (.257), 6th in OBP (.329), 6th in OPS (.736), and 8th in SLG (.407). The Blue Jays are one of two AL teams who have scored in every game this season (also: LAA)…Have gone 65 straight games without being shut out, the 2nd-longest active streak in the Majors (LAA – 89G).
THE D-JAYS: According to Sports Info Solutions, Toronto fielders have recorded a total of 33 Defensive Runs Saved to lead all MLB teams (2nd: MIL – 25)…The group is led by an MLB-high 14 runs saved in center field – 10 from Kevin Kiermaier and four from Daulton Varsho.
DIVISIONAL DOWNTURN: The Blue Jays have now gone 5-12 against divisional opponents this season (5th among the AL East clubs)…Went 43-33 (.566%) in divisional play in 2022, the 2nd-best winning percentage within the division (NYY – .618) and the club’s best since registering a .581 win% in 2006 (43-31).
VS. THE RAYS: All-Time: 384-321
2023: 2-1 Home: 213-143
Road: 0-0 Rogers Centre: 164-105
The Blue Jays handed the Rays their 1st series loss of the season as they took two of three games when the clubs met last month at Rogers Centre…Went 9-10 vs. TB last year, including a 4-5 record at Tropicana Field…Have not bested the Rays in a season series since going 10-9 in 2017.
Bo Bichette went 7-for-13 (.538) with two doubles and two RBI in the three games vs. the Rays in April…Has hit .264 (57-for-216) with 13 doubles, seven home runs, and 27 RBI in 53 career contests vs. TB.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. picked up a hit in all three meetings with the Rays in April, going 3-for-11 (.273) with two walks and an RBI…Is a lifetime 65-for-252 (.258) across 64 games against the Rays, including 16 home runs, two triples, 11 homers, and 36 RBI (.791 OPS).
Brandon Belt has multiple hits in four of his 10 career games played vs. Tampa Bay…Has gone a combined 10-for-31 (.323) with one double, one triple, four home runs, seven RBI, and five walks since the 2013 season (1.239 OPS).
STARTING PITCHER – Chris Bassitt, RHP #40
TODAY’S GAME: Making his 10th start of the season and his 5th on the road…Tossed 7.0 shutout innings his last time out, on 5/17 vs. NYY, giving up 3 hits, a walk, and a hit batter with 7 strikeouts…Extended his career-best scoreless innings streak to 27.0 frames, the 2nd-longest single-season streak in franchise history (Roger Clemens – 33.0 IP from 8/15-9/5/98), and the 3rd-longest overall (Dave Stieb – 34.0 IP from 9/13/88-4/5/89). Ranks 3rd in the AL with a .175 opponent average this year…Has held opposing RHH to a .138 AVG, the lowest mark in the Majors. Over his last 8 starts, has gone 5-1 with a 1.71 ERA (10 ER/52.2 IP) and a 0.89 WHIP. Has posted a career road record of 30-15 (.667 win%), the 4th-best road record in the divisional era (since 1969), min. 60 starts.
2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Threw a complete game shutout on 5/12 vs. ATL, the 2nd CG SO of his career (also: 5/27/21 vs. LAA), and the 1st nine-inning complete game shutout by a Blue Jay since Mark Buehrle on 6/3/15 at WAS…Scattered 2 hits, 2 walks, and 2 hit batters while striking out a season-high 8 on 103 pitches (70 strikes). Improved to 4-2 on the year on 5/5 at PIT…Threw a then season-high 7.0 shutout innings, scattering 4 hits and 4 walks with 5 strikeouts. Logged 6.1 innings of work on 4/24 vs. CWS, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while walking 3 and recording 4 strikeouts…Left the game in the 7th with right lower back tightness…Was his 4th straight quality start, going 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA (6 ER/24.2 IP) over that span. Picked up his 2nd win of the year on 4/18 at HOU, throwing 6.1 innings of shutout ball with 3 hits, a walk, and 5 strikeouts…Marked his 3rd straight quality start, and his 1st scoreless outing of the season. Earned his 1st win as a Blue Jay on 4/7 at LAA, allowing 3R/2ER on 2 hits and 5 walks over 6.0 frames with 5 strikeouts. Took the loss in his Toronto debut on 4/2 at STL, giving up career highs in runs (9) and homers (4) over 3.1 innings (10H, 0BB, 0K).
TAMPA BAY RAYS NOTES:
NO SUNDAY SWEEPS — The Rays were unable to complete a three-game sweep of Milwaukee in Sunday afternoon’s series finale at Tropicana Field, allowing a season-high-tying three homers in a 6-4 loss…after the Brewers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead, RF Josh Lowe (3-for-4, HR, 4RBI, R) unloaded a game-tying three-run blast in the fourth inning, his 11th home run of the season…Milwaukee responded with three runs of its own in the fifth frame before Lowe closed out the scoring with an RBI-single in the eighth inning.
LHP Jalen Beeks (2.0IP, H, ER, 2BB, 3SO) made his fifth start of the season as an opener, allowing one homer over 2.0 innings of work before giving way to RHP Cooper Criswell (4.2IP, 8H, 5ER, BB, 3SO, 2HR), who took the loss.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE — Tampa Bay’s 21-4 record at Tropicana Field marks the best 25-game home start by any club since the 1979 Montreal Expos (also 21-4)…since 1901, only the 1978 Boston Red Sox (22-3) have recorded a better start…the Rays are one of 10 teams since 1901 to win 21 of their first 25 home games, including the fifth in the Integration Era (since 1947).
Rays pitching paces MLB in several categories at home, including ERA (2.62), opp. AVG (.195), opp. OBP (.277), opp. SLG (.329), opp. OPS (.594) and WHIP (1.02)… meanwhile, Rays hitters rank highly in home extra-base hits (2nd, 97), homers (2nd, 43), slugging pct. (2nd, .491) and OPS (3rd, .836).
START YOUR ENGINES — Rays starters have pitched to a 1.93 ERA (28.0IP, 6ER) over their last six games, holding opponents to a .182 average (18-for-99) with 26 strikeouts and seven walks in that span…it marks the lowest ERA by any major league rotation in that timeframe (since 5/16), ahead of Texas (2.03).
CLOSE SHAVES — Thirteen of Tampa Bay’s last 17 games have been decided by two or fewer runs, including 11 one-run games in that span…the Rays are 5-6 in one-run games and 0-2 in two-run games in that stretch…this comes after just six of Tampa Bay’s first 31 games were decided by two or fewer runs.
On the season, Tampa Bay is 9-7 in one-run games, the fifth-best mark in the AL.
Twelve of the Rays 14 losses have come by three or fewer runs, including nine games decided by two or fewer runs…they have lost only two games by 4+ runs, the fewest such losses in MLB, ahead of Atlanta (3).
BAG BANDITS — The Rays lead the majors in stolen bases (27) and stolen base attempts (33) during the month of May…Wander Franco leads the club with eight steals, third most in MLB during May, followed by Josh Lowe, Luke Raley and Taylor Walls (4SB each)…the Rays have been successful on 13 of their last 14 stolen base attempts dating back to 5/14 at New York-AL.
Tampa Bay has five players with 5+ stolen bases, tied with Cleveland for most in the majors…the Rays also have an MLB-best three players with 9+ steals (Wander Franco – 14SB, Josh Lowe – 9SB, Taylor Walls – 9SB).
GOING STREAKING — Yandy Díaz has a career-best 14-game hitting streak since 5/3, batting .352 (19-for-54) with five doubles, 4 HR and 11 RBI during the run…it is tied with ARI Lourdes Gurriel Jr. for the longest active streak in the majors and marks the longest hitting streak by a Ray since Manuel Margot’s 15-game run from 5/1-28, 2022.
He has recorded an extra-base hit in four straight games, tied for the second-longest active streak in the majors behind CHC Christopher Morel (7G)…it marks the longest such single-season streak of his career and second-longest overall (5G, 9/27/18-3/30/19).
Díaz also has an 18-game on-base streak since 4/27, slashing .371/.480/.710 (23-for62) with 11 extra-base hits, 12 RBI, 11 walks and only 11 strikeouts in that stretch… it is the third-longest active run in the AL behind MIN Byron Buxton (21G) and TEX Marcus Semien (19G).
Díaz has reached base safely in 28 of his last 29 games overall, going .362/.460/.638 (38-for-105) at the plate during that span…he leads all qualified major leaguers during that stretch (since 4/15) in batting average, OPS (1.098), OBP and SLG.
THE LOWE DOWN — Over his last nine games since 5/11, Josh Lowe is batting .343 (12- for-35) with three doubles, 4 HR and 14 RBI…his 14 RBI are second most in the AL in that span, trailing only NYY Aaron Judge…he is 5-for-8 (.625) with 11 RBI with runners in scoring position over that stretch.
Lowe (11HR, 34RBI, 9SB) is the only player in the majors with 10+ home runs, 30+ RBI and 9+ stolen bases…he joins ATL Ronald Acuña Jr. as the only MLB players batting .300 or better with 10+ homers and 10+ doubles.
THE BAY BOMBERS — The Rays have hit a major league-best 91 home runs, the third-most long balls through a club’s first 48 games in MLB history (since 1901), trailing only the 2000 St. Louis Cardinals (98HR) and 1999 Seattle Mariners (97HR).
The Rays have 11 players with 5+ home runs this season, most in the majors, ahead of San Francisco (8 players)…per Elias, Tampa Bay is the first team in MLB history to have 10 or more players with 5+ home runs before reaching the 50-game mark in a season.
The Rays have an MLB-best 26 multi-HR games, ahead of New York-AL (24G); they are 21-5 in those contests…this includes 15 games with 3+ homers, most in the majors ahead of Los Angeles-NL (13G).
Of the six MLB hitters batting .300 or better with 10 home runs this season, three of them are Rays (Randy Arozarena – .304/10HR, Yandy Diáz – .329/11HR, Josh Lowe – .318/11HR).
LEADING THE PACK — The Rays rank second in the majors in runs scored (290) behind Texas (297) while surrendering the second-fewest runs (166) behind Houston (163)… Tampa Bay’s +126 run differential is the eighth-best mark through the first 48 games of a season in MLB history (since 1901), including the best since the 2016 Chicago Cubs (+131).
BATTER UP — Rays hitters lead the majors in OBP (.347), SLG (.500), OPS (.847), homers (91), extra-base hits (186), total bases (816) and at-bats per HR (17.93).
BLUE JAYS FLY SOUTH — Tampa Bay and Toronto open a four-game series this evening, marking the fourth of 13 matchups between the two clubs this season…after dropping two of three in Toronto from 4/14-16, the Rays have fallen in four of their last five games against the Blue Jays, scoring two or fewer runs in three of those contests.
The Rays went 5-4 against the Blue Jays at home last season, holding a narrow +2 (35-33) run differential in those games.
LET’S GET IT STARTED — RHP Trevor Kelley will serve as tonight’s opener before giving way to LHP Josh Fleming…working as an opener on 5/12 at New York-AL, Kelley made his first career start…pitched 2.0 innings, allowing one run on one hit with no walks and two strikeouts…over four appearances (one start) this season, Kelley is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA (6.0IP, 5ER)…in his last outing on 5/18 at New York-NL, Kelley threw a scoreless inning of relief, scattering one hit with one walk and one strikeout
Kelley has also made 11 relief appearances for Triple-A Durham this season, pitching to a 3.95 ERA (13.2IP, 6ER) with one save…in 253 career minor league relief appearances, Kelley is 17-22 with a 2.33 ERA (336.1IP, 87ER)…since making his major league debut with Boston on 7/2/19, he is 1-4 with a 7.19 ERA (41.1IP, 33ER) in 36 games.
