Toronto @ Tampa Bay preview
Tropicana Field
Last Meeting ( Jun 2, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 7, Toronto 3
An abysmal bullpen has cost the Toronto Blue Jays some valuable wins of late.
The Blue Jays know they'll need their relievers to be much better as they prepare for their rematch with the top team in the majors.
Toronto opens a nine-game road trip on Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla. against the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay claimed two out of three games from the Jays in their previous meeting last week at the Rogers Centre.
One of the league's biggest early-season surprises, the Blue Jays are coming off a 6-3 homestand where they asserted themselves well against both the Rays and the New York Yankees, the two teams ahead of them in the division. Yet, while Toronto fans can applaud the team for remaining among the division leaders, the Blue Jays could have fared far better.
They squandered late leads in each of their three losses, as their bullpen struggled mightily last week. Toronto allowed four runs in the ninth inning of a 7-6 loss to Tampa Bay last Tuesday, then surrendered six runs in the ninth to drop a 7-3 decision to the Rays a night later.
The trend continued Sunday, when Toronto held the mighty Yankees' lineup without a run over the first seven innings before imploding. New York scored four times in the eighth, and held on for a 4-3 victory that moved the Yankees 1 1/2 games up on the Jays for second place in the East.
By comparison, the Toronto starters have been sensational. They registered a 1.61 ERA during the nine-game homestand, something they hope to continue against a Tampa Bay team that has won 19 of its last 23 home games against the Jays.
Brian Tallet (1-1) gets the start for Toronto, his second since coming off the 15-day disabled list. The veteran left-hander held Tampa Bay at bay in his last outing, limiting it to five hits and four walks in 5 2/3 shutout innings. He wasn't around for the decision, and still hasn't registered a victory against the Rays in his career (0-1).
Tampa Bay counters with Jeff Niemann (5-0), who had his worst outing of the season against Toronto a week ago but was spared his first loss thanks to a late rally. Niemann surrendered five runs on nine hits over 6 1/3 innings, and was taken deep twice after allowing just six home runs over his first 10 starts this season.
That shouldn't surprise anyone who has followed the homer-happy Jays this season. Toronto belted 18 home runs on its homestand and leads the majors with 97 round-trippers, nearly 20 ahead of runner-up Boston.
Tampa Bay is coming off a difficult series in Texas, with Sunday's 9-5 victory helping prevent a sweep at the hands of the Texas Rangers. Despite the struggles, the Rays still lead the majors with a 22-8 record away from St. Petersburg - accompanied by an ordinary 15-12 mark at home.