September 21 – The Tampa Bay Rays’ pitching staff will get another chance to shine Saturday afternoon when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Rays pitchers have allowed 15 hits and five runs in the last four games, including three against the Boston Red Sox and the series opener against Toronto, while striking out 44.
The Rays (76-78) used six pitchers to combine for their second straight shutout and 12th overall in Friday’s 1-0 victory over the Blue Jays (73-81).
Jonathan Aranda drove in the sole run in the sixth inning off Toronto starter Jose Berrios, and the home team’s pitchers held on.
Kevin Kelly (4-2) grabbed the win and extended his scoreless streak to 22 innings.
“(Kelly’s) got to be taking it in and appreciating what he does,” said manager Kevin Cash, whose team advanced to 7-4 against the Blue Jays this season. “He’s commanding the ball at a really high rate.”
The Blue Jays had five hits, all singles, and had little scoring opportunities, as the two American League East teams combined to finish 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position.
Right-hander Taj Bradley (6-11, 4.39 ERA) will make his career-high 24th start, hoping to get his game back on track and show what he can provide to the rotation in 2025.
The Los Angeles product was named the American League Pitcher of the Month in July after going 3-1 with a 1.45 ERA in five starts, but he has since gone 0-6 with a 7.97 ERA in eight outings.
“A lot of it is like growing pains,” Bradley explained on the Rays Radio podcast. “You have to have them so you can grow scar tissue for the games. I just became numb to them and stopped allowing them to affect me the way they used to.
Bradley has three starts and two relief appearances versus Toronto, going 1-2 with a 5.68 ERA.
Jonatan Clase made his debut in center field for Toronto on Friday, filling in for Daulton Varsho, who is sidelined for the season due to a shoulder injury.
Clase, 22, was acquired from the Seattle Mariners in late July and was promoted from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday. The quick youngster likely get a lot of action in the season’s final week.
In his debut, the switch hitter went 1 for 2 with a single to right and was hit by a pitch.
After getting hit by Tampa Bay’s Tyler Alexander in the third inning, he easily stole second but overslid the bag. He attempted to advance, but was easily tagged out near third.
This is Clase’s chance to shine. Varsho will undergo right rotator cuff surgery next week, and his readiness for spring training in Dunedin, Fla., is uncertain.
Additionally, shortstop Bo Bichette (fractured middle finger) will see a hand specialist, and infielder Will Wagner underwent knee surgery Thursday.
Kevin Gausman (back tightness) left Thursday’s game against the Texas Rangers despite having a no-hitter going through five innings, but Blue Jays manager John Schneider expects him to be available next week.
“We’re going to kind of keep our eye on him every day as we go forward and make sure he’s good for his next (start),” Schneider told the team.
Right-hander Yariel Rodriguez (1-6, 4.29 ERA) will make his 20th start of the season on Saturday. He has no record and a 3.18 ERA versus the Rays, having allowed two runs on two hits in 5 2/3 innings of a 6-3 win on July 24. He was not involved in the decision-making.
