This story was originally published by Dead Spin
The visiting Tampa Bay Rays aim to go two games above .500 for the first time since May 20 when they face the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night.
The Rays recorded a 4-2 win in the opener of the three-game series against Toronto on Tuesday night. Brandon Lowe belted a two-run homer for Tampa Bay, which holds a 5-3 edge in the season series.
The Rays were at .500 for the 23rd time this season, a club record, after a 9-1 loss to the New York Yankees on Monday. The previous team record was 22 set in 2017. They last were two games above .500 when they entered play at 25-23.
The Rays improved to 3-2 on their seven-game road trip. Toronto is 1-3 to start a nine-game homestand.
The Blue Jays are turning to right-hander Yariel Rodriguez (1-3, 3.78 ERA) in a bid to even the series.
The Rays are scheduled to start right-hander Zach Eflin (5-7, 4.14), who is 2-3 with a 6.35 ERA in seven games (six starts) against the Blue Jays.
Eflin has faced Toronto twice this season. He did not factor into the decision in his May 18 start at Toronto when he allowed four runs and nine hits in six innings. He took the loss at St. Petersburg, Fla., on March 28, when he yielded six runs and six hits — including three homers — in 5 2/3 innings.
Right-hander Ryan Pepiot (right knee infection) was slated to start for Tampa Bay on Tuesday but is on the injured list after entering a hospital in New York, where the Rays split a four-game series with the Yankees. He was released from hospital on Monday.
“He’s doing well,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I saw a picture of (his knee), and it’s still swollen, but he’s doing much better.”
Pepiot is eligible to be reinstated Aug. 3, and Cash said he should be able to get back to throwing soon.
In his absence, the Rays opened with Shawn Armstrong and followed with Tyler Alexander. They combined to scatter four hits and struck out eight over five scoreless innings. Alexander was recalled from Triple-A Durham for the outing and reliever Tyler Zuber was demoted.
The Rays claimed reliever Joel Kuhnel off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday.
Cash said before the game on Tuesday that there still was “no update” on the status of Yandy Diaz (personal), who is not with the team.
Home runs by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Justin Turner provided the offense for Toronto on Tuesday. Turner added two singles.
Guerrero leads the team with 17 home runs, including four in his past six games.
“It’s fun to watch him right now,” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said. “He’s dangerous every single pitch.”
Over his past 24 games, Guerrero is batting .340 (32-for-94) with nine doubles, nine homers and 29 RBIs.
Turner continued to hit well against American League East rivals. He is batting .318 (27-for-85) with six doubles, three home runs and 12 RBIs in 25 games against them.
Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa (sprained left knee) took batting practice on Tuesday.
“It’s been way faster than I expected,” Kiner-Falefa said. “I wish I could have been playing throughout that stretch on the West Coast and just helping the team put ourselves in a better situation. At the same time, I feel like this is a good time for these young guys to learn and get better.”
–Field Level Media
