Rays at Blue Jays
The Tampa Bay Rays are off to their best 14-game start in franchise history at 11-3 and look to push their winning streak to six in a row when they continue a three-game series at the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. Behind two home runs apiece from Austin Meadows and Brandon Lowe, the Rays picked up an 11-7 win in the series opener Friday night.
Tampa Bay has outscored opponents 38-14 during the winning streak and Meadows has four homers and nine RBIs over the last three games. The Blue Jays have dropped nine of 11 after opening the season with a 2-1 mark and fell to 3-5 at home with Friday's defeat. Toronto pitchers had given up just nine home runs through the team's first 13 games before surrendering five to the Rays in the series opener. Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell makes his fourth start of the year for Tampa Bay opposite veteran right-hander Clay Buchholz, who will be making his debut with the Blue Jays after a rebound campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year.
TV: 3:07 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Blake Snell (2-1, 2.84 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Clay Buchholz (2018: 7-2, 2.01)
After getting knocked around against Houston on Opening Day, Snell has bounced back to win two straight starts while allowing one run in 13 innings. He has 24 strikeouts against one walk in that span. The 26-year-old limited the Blue Jays to one run and six hits in 16 2/3 innings last year while fanning 27 batters.
Buchholz opened the year on the injured list due to an elbow injury and made one rehab appearance for Triple-A Buffalo on Sunday, allowing three earned runs in five innings with five strikeouts. The 34-year-old allowed two earned runs or fewer in 13 of his 16 starts with the Diamondbacks last year and went 2-0 with a 0.79 ERA over his final five outings of the season. He owns a 2.67 mark in 23 career games (21 starts) against the Rays and is 11-3 with a 2.63 ERA in his career at the Rogers Centre.
WALK-OFFS
1. Rays SS Willy Adames - who homered on Friday - is 11-for-22 during a six-game hitting streak.
2. Blue Jays 2B Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is 4-for-9 with two doubles and two walks during a three-game hitting streak.
3. Tampa Bay LF Tommy Pham has reached safely in a team-record 46 straight games.