Tampa Bay @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 11, 2010 ) Tampa Bay 13, Toronto 1

Jeff Niemann began the season as one of the top starters in the American League.

If he doesn't put together a decent start Sunday, he might finish the campaign in the bullpen.

Niemann looks to turn around a dreadful three-week stretch as the Rays conclude their three-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Tampa Bay has looked good so far in the series, earning a 9-8 victory in Friday's opener and following that up with a 13-1 drubbing less than 24 hours later.

Their chance at a sweep will be largely dependent on whether Niemann can rediscover the form that made him a dangerous right-hander early in the year. The 27-year-old opened the season 6-0, capped by a complete-game two-hit shutout against the Blue Jays on June 8 in St. Petersburg.

He had a 10-3 record with a 3.12 ERA when he went on the disabled list with a shoulder strain in early August. He returned three weeks later, and promptly put together the worst three-start stretch of his brief major-league career.

Niemann has been torched for 23 runs over 10 innings in that span, ballooning his ERA more than full run to 4.28. One of those losses came at the hands of the Jays, who victimized Niemann for seven runs over five innings en route to a 13-5 victory.

Niemann's last start wasn't any better. He surrendered six runs while recording just five outs in the shortest start of his career, a 12-5 defeat to the Boston Red Sox. He has allowed 19 hits and eight walks in that 10-inning stretch, including four home runs.

Rays manager Joe Maddon gave Niemann a vote of confidence after his last start, saying it should only be a matter of time before the tall righty gets back on track. Yet, with Tampa Bay nearly a lock to reach the post-season, Niemann will almost certainly need to improve in order to be included in the playoff rotation.

The 2004 first-round pick is 3-2 lifetime against the Blue Jays with a 4.94 ERA over 47 1/3 innings. Toronto home-run leader Jose Bautista, who needs one more long ball to equal the franchise record set by George Bell in 1987, is just 1-for-12 lifetime against Niemann.

The Jays will be looking to atone for a miserable Saturday afternoon in which they allowed eight or more runs for the third time in four games. They'll send Shaun Marcum (12-7) to the hill as they look to halt a four-game slide that has them close to falling back to the .500 mark for the season.

Marcum equaled his career-high in wins in his last outing, surrendering three runs over seven innings as the Blue Jays defeated the Texas Rangers 8-5. After missing all of last season following ligament replacement surgery, the 28-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable bounceback campaign that has seen him establish career bests in strikeouts (145) while limiting opponents to a .242 batting average.

Marcum is 2-2 lifetime against the Rays with a 2.98 ERA over 42 1/3 innings, but is 0-2 in three starts this season.