Rays at Blue Jays
The slumping Tampa Bay Rays must lick their wounds after another devastating loss when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon for the rubber match of a three-game series between American League East rivals. The Rays took a six-run lead into the eighth inning Saturday before dropping a 10-9 decision in the 12th after serving up six homers to the Blue Jays, including a walk-off blast by Teoscar Hernandez.
Willy Adames and red-hot Travis d’Arnaud (12 RBIs, last six outings) each belted three-run homers in the second inning to help Tampa Bay build a big lead, but the bats cooled off before the late-game bullpen failed again as the Rays dropped to 3-8 in their last 11 contests. Yonny Chrinos will try to give Tampa Bay some length when he gets the start in the series finale and Toronto counters with fellow right-hander Aaron Sanchez, who has lost 13 consecutive decisions and hasn’t won since April 27. Hernandez went deep twice and has six homers over his last 10 games for the Blue Jays while Brandon Drury went 4-for-6 on Saturday with a pair of blasts, including one with two outs and no one on base in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the contest. Toronto had scored just nine runs during a 1-4 stretch before exploding for 10 on Saturday with 16 hits - nine of them for extra bases.
TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), Sportsnet, TVA, OMNI (Toronto)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Yonny Chirinos (8-5, 3.29 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (3-14, 6.06)
Chirinos posted just one victory in his last eight trips to the mound, but has allowed three or fewer runs in six of those outings while completing six innings in the same amount. The 25-year-old Venezuelan limited Boston to two runs on six hits with five strikeouts in a no-decision last Tuesday that resulted in a 5-4 loss. Chirinos, who is 1-0 with a 7.36 ERA in two games (one start) against Toronto in 2019, has recorded five of his wins this year against AL East foes.
Sanchez put together one of his better starts of the season last Tuesday, holding Cleveland to one run on five hits over five innings, but finished with a no-decision. The 27-year-old California native owns a 4.95 ERA in four starts this month after going 0-6 with a 12.00 mark during a rough June. Adames is 3-for-5 in his career against Sanchez, who gave up one run on six hits across three innings in an eventual 8-3 loss at Tampa Bay on May 27.
WALK-OFFS
1. Toronto’s rookie 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who launched a three-run homer in the ninth inning Saturday, has eight RBIs in his last eight games.
2. Adames is batting .297 with 10 home runs on the road this year as opposed to .171 with one blast at home.
3. The Blue Jays placed C Luke Maile (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Saturday and recalled C Reese McGuire from Triple-A Buffalo.