Rays out to put exclamation point on season series with Blue Jays

The Tampa Bay Rays can continue their dominance of the Toronto Blue Jays when the American League East foes wrap up their regular-season series on Thursday afternoon in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Rays, who own the AL's best record (76-50), have won nine of 12 games over Toronto in 2026 and have taken the season series against the Blue Jays in nine consecutive seasons.

Tampa Bay is looking for a victory in the finale of the current three-game series after a 7-6 victory Wednesday following a 10-5 loss in the opener on Tuesday.

Former reliever Ian Seymour (9-3, 4.11 ERA) will make his fourth consecutive start on Thursday. The left-hander has appeared out of the bullpen in 29 of his 39 outings this year but is 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in three starts in August.

Last time out, he struck out nine batters across six innings while yielding three runs on six hits in a no-decision against the Baltimore Orioles. The Rays lost 4-3 in 10 innings.

"(Seymour) did a nice job. You've got to be pleased with his overall work," Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said. "I thought he competed really well and mixed his pitches well."

Very familiar with the lineup, Seymour will face the Blue Jays for the sixth time this year. In five innings over five relief appearances against them this season, he is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and a save. In seven career appearances (five starts) against Toronto, the southpaw is 2-2 with a 4.43 ERA.

In a logjammed AL wild-card race, the Blue Jays are a game behind the Minnesota Twins for the third and final postseason spot. Despite the loss on Wednesday, Toronto has won eight of its past 12 games to remain in a position to return to the playoffs.

Former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber (4-2, 4.99 ERA) will look to build off his recent success when he starts for the Blue Jays on Thursday. The 31-year-old has labored through a career-worst ERA through 10 starts, but he threw six quality innings in a 3-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Friday.

Bieber allowed one run on four hits and struck out five while walking one.

"I thought Shane was really, really good," Toronto manager John Schneider said. "He used all of his pitches well, and the breaking ball was really good."

The injury-plagued two-time All-Star has started more games this year than in the past two seasons combined. Although not producing at the level that made him an ace in Cleveland, Bieber said he is glad to be part of a club trending in the right direction.

"We're just excited to get to the ballyard every day," he said. "We have tried our best throughout the season to curate that mindset. Sometimes, that's been easier said than done, but honestly, credit to this group for continuing to trudge forward."

In eight career starts against Tampa Bay, Bieber is 4-2 with a 2.98 ERA. He beat the Rays and Seymour on July 23 and tossed seven innings of one-run, three-hit ball while striking out three in a 3-1 win.

--Field Level Media