Tampa Bay @ Toronto preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 27, 2019 ) Tampa Bay 6, Toronto 2

The Tampa Bay Rays clinched an American League wild-card spot with a victory on Friday combined with a loss by the Cleveland Indians but are still trying to earn the top spot and home-field advantage in the wild card game. After pulling even with the Oakland Athletics in that race late Friday night, the Rays visit the Toronto Blue Jays in the penultimate game of the regular season on Saturday.

Tampa Bay (96-64) watched the Indians fall to Washington on Friday and then did its part with a 6-2 triumph over the Blue Jays in the series opener - its fourth straight win and seventh in the last eight games - to clinch its first postseason berth since 2013 and tie the Athletics, who dropped their series opener in Seattle. The Rays need to finish ahead of Oakland to play at home in Wednesday's one-game wild card because the Athletics own the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series 4-3. The Blue Jays are ahead of the curve in their rebuilding with a slew of promising young offensive players and will spend the final two days of the regular season trying to spoil home-field advantage for their division rivals. Toronto will send right-hander Trent Thornton to the mound on Saturday while Tampa Bay balances trying to win Saturday and Sunday with trying to keep as many arms available as possible for Wednesday.

TV: 3:07 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Tampa Bay), Sportsnet (Toronto)

PITCHING MATCHUP: Rays LH Ryan Yarbrough (11-5, 4.08 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Trent Thornton (5-9, 5.00)

Yarbrough last saw action on Sunday and is the most likely pitcher to work multiple innings for Tampa Bay. The 27-year-old struggled while taking a pair of losses in his last two outings, surrendering a total of 12 runs and 18 hits over 8 1/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox. Yarbrough is 3-0 with a 1.15 ERA in four games against Toronto this season, yielding two earned runs in 15 2/3 innings.

Thornton is finishing up a solid rookie campaign as the organization tries to limit his innings. The 25-year-old did not throw more than five innings or 92 pitches in any of his last six outings despite allowing three or fewer earned runs in five of those turns. Thornton last saw the Rays at Tampa Bay on Sept. 5 and did not factor in the decision while allowing three runs - one earned - and four hits over 4 2/3 frames.

WALK-OFFS

1. Rays 1B Ji-Man Choi (bone bruise) sat out Friday and is day-to-day.

2. Blue Jays SS Bo Bichette (concussion) sat out the last week and could miss the final two games.

3. Toronto OF Teoscar Hernandez hit safely in each of his last seven games and homered Friday.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 9, Rays 5