Tampa Bay @ New York preview

Last Meeting ( Jul 7, 2018 ) Tampa Bay 3, NY Mets 0

Aside from one swing from Jose Bautista, the New York Mets are not having much luck against the Tampa Bay Rays' pitching staff. The Mets will try to scrape together a few runs and pull off a rare series win when they host the Rays in the finale of a three-game interleague series on Sunday.

Bautista connected on a walk-off grand slam in Friday's 5-1 victory, but New York could not carry that momentum into Saturday and suffered a 3-0 loss while going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and watching Bautista strike out three times. The Mets have not won a series since sweeping a three-game set from the Arizona Diamondbacks at home from May 18-20 and dropped to 15-27 in their own park with Saturday's setback. The Rays aren't exactly lighting up the scoreboard with a total of four runs in their last three games but remain at .500 thanks to a pitching staff limiting opponents to a .224 batting average. Tampa Bay will try to keep the run of strong pitching performances going behind right-hander Nathan Eovaldi while New York gives righty Chris Flexen his first start of the season.

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), SNY (New York)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Nathan Eovaldi (2-3, 3.92 ERA) vs. Mets RH Chris Flexen (0-1, 10.80)

Eovaldi scattered eight hits across six innings at Miami on Monday and limited the damage to two runs without factoring in the decision. The Texas native received a total of four runs of support in his last four starts and owns one win in that span, when he struck out nine in six scoreless innings against Washington on June 26. Eovaldi made three of his seven starts against NL East opponents this season and is 1-1 with a 3.18 ERA in those outings.

Flexen made his first three appearances this season in relief and absorbed a loss in his last game, surrendering a run in one inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 24. The 24-year-old went 4-6 with a 4.84 ERA in 14 games - 13 starts - for Triple-A Las Vegas between major-league stints this season. Flexen went 3-5 with a 7.78 ERA in nine starts for the Mets during his 2017 rookie campaign.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays INF Willy Adames (illness) sat out Saturday and is day-to-day.

2. New York 3B Wilmer Flores hit safely in 12 of the last 13 games.

3. Tampa Bay RHP Chris Archer (abdominal) will return to the rotation on Monday for the first time since June 2.

PREDICTION: Rays 6, Mets 3