Tampa Bay @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Aug 11, 2018 ) Tampa Bay 3, Toronto 1

Playing in a top-heavy American League East that features the major league-best Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the Toronto Blue Jays' toughest division opponent has turned out to be the Tampa Bay Rays. The Blue Jays have dropped seven of eight in the season series and will try to avoid a three-game sweep in Sunday's series finale at Rogers Centre.

Rookie shortstop Willy Adames collected two more hits in Saturday's 3-1 win and is 5-for-7 with four runs scored in the series for Tampa Bay, which has outscored Toronto 35-13 in the eight meetings this season. Joey Wendle also had two hits and an RBI on Saturday and is 8-for-17 with seven RBIs over the past five games for the Rays, who have won three in a row overall and five straight against the Blue Jays. Aledmys Díaz homered in Saturday's loss for Toronto, which has managed only one run and eight hits in the first two games of the series. Marcus Stroman, who had to leave his last start due to a blister, was cleared to pitch Sunday's game and will face recently acquired Tyler Glasnow.

TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), OMNI, Sportsnet-1 (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays RH Tyler Glasnow (1-2, 4.14 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (4-8, 5.20)

The hard-throwing Glasnow pitched solely out of the bullpen with Pittsburgh, making 34 relief appearances, but has been shifted to the rotation by the Rays. He went four innings in his team debut, striking out five in three innings of one-run ball, and followed that up by fanning nine while allowing one run and two hits to Baltimore. He has notched 86 strikeouts in 63 innings overall.

Stroman is coming off perhaps his best start of the season, although he did not factor in the decision despite limiting the Red Sox to one unearned run and two hits in seven innings. He was rocked in his previous outing, giving up seven runs and 11 hits over five innings at Oakland. Stroman is 2-3 with a 5.05 record at home this year, but is 5-4 with a 4.37 ERA lifetime against Tampa Bay.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays CF Mallex Smith has hit safely in six consecutive games.

2. Blue Jays 3B Yangervis Solarte left Saturday's game due to a sore right oblique.

3. Adames is 9-for-19 during a five-game hitting streak.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 3, Rays 2