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Instant Reaction: Daulton Varsho’s grand slam walks off the Rays, snaps Toronto’s three-game skid

Michael Coyle — Thu, 14 May 2026 11:00:29 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays have finally beaten the Tampa Bay Rays in 2026.

Blue Jays’ center fielder Daulton Varsho walked off the Rays in the bottom of the 10th inning, hitting a grand slam for his fifth home run of the season, and sending the Blue Jays into their off day with a 5-3 win.

The Blue Jays’ offence was their own worst enemy on Wednesday, hitting into four double plays and going 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position, but Varsho made sure that total stopped there, driving an Aaron Brooks fastball to the Blue Jays’ bullpen beyond the left field wall.

With George Springer starting the inning on second base as the automatic runner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Kazuma Okamoto worked back-to-back one-out walks to set the stage for Varsho’s heroics. Brooks, who was making his first appearance in the big leagues since 2024, continuously challenged Varsho with the high fastball, eventually losing the battle when the 29-year-old deposited the sixth pitch of the at-bat over the left field wall.

DAULTON VARSHO WALKS IT OFF WITH A GRAND SALAMI!!!!!!!!

🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/br1MkmXdMr

— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) May 14, 2026

With the win, the Blue Jays snapped their three-game losing streak and improved to 19-24 on the season, 9.5 games back of the first-place Rays, who dropped to 28-14 on the year.

For one of the first times all year, the Blue Jays’ offence bailed out the pitching staff.

After Blue Jays reliever Braydon Fisher was charged with the loss on Tuesday, John Schneider turned to Jeff Hoffman to try to cut down the automatic runner situation to begin the 10th. Two pitches in, Ben Williamson singled home the speedy Chandler Simpson to put the Rays ahead. After picking up his fourth steal of the year, Williamson was brought home on a one-out single by Yandy Díaz, the 34-year-old’s 24th RBI of the season, extending the Rays’ lead to 3-1, and putting the pressure on the Blue Jays’ offence to come through.

Runs in this game were tough to come by as Blue Jays’ right-hander Dylan Cease and Rays right-hander Griffin Jax traded zeroes on the scoreboard. Cease breezed through the first six innings, setting the Rays’ batters down with ease. It was only in the seventh inning that Cease looked human on the mound. Jonathan Aranda worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a Jake Fraley one-out free pass. Rays’ light-hitting second baseman Richie Palacios then served a Cease changeup to center field to bring home the game’s opening run.

Cease dazzled for the second straight outing, turning in a line of 7.0, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. The 30-year-old completed seven innings for the third straight start, continuing to build on a run of better pitch efficiency. Following Wednesday’s outing, Cease has now made nine starts with the Blue Jays and has posted a record of 3-1 with a 2.41 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. Cease’s nine strikeouts raised his season total to 75, placing him in second in Major League Baseball, trailing only Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers, who has recorded 80.

After former Blue Jay Bryan Baker entered in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Blue Jays stayed patient as Baker struggled to find the zone. Baker walked Springer, Yohendrick Piñango, and Guerrero to begin the inning before Okamoto drove a first-pitch changeup to left field for a sacrifice fly, tying the game at 1-1, and giving Okamoto his team-leading 27th RBI of the season.

The Blue Jays will go into Thursday’s day off feeling a little bit better, as they prepare to embark on a seven-game road trip that runs through Detroit and New York.

Trey Yesavage is set to take the ball for the first game of the series against the Tigers and will look to continue his strong run he’s been on through his first three starts of 2026. The 22-year-old is 1-1 with a 0.68 ERA and 1.35 WHIP and has struck out 15 batters across his first 13 1/3 this year.

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Dylan Cease stays dominant as Blue Jays’ late rally solves Rays’ pitching

Thomas Hall — Thu, 14 May 2026 04:00:35 GMT

TORONTO — Dylan Cease appears to be entering his dominant Blue Jays era.

The $210-million starter has been virtually untouchable now over his last two starts, last Friday against the Los Angeles Angels and Wednesday night versus the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays.

Here’s the right-hander’s official pitching line from those two outings:

14.0 combined innings, one run on eight hits and three walks allowed, 19 strikeouts

Cease has provided the best of both worlds during his eighth and ninth starts as a Blue Jay, maintaining his elite strikeout ability while also pitching deep into both games. And against the Rays, he accomplished something he had never done before: compile at least seven innings in three consecutive starts.

Last season, mind you, Cease struggled mightily in this regard. Of the 32 starts he made with the San Diego Padres, he only pitched seven innings twice — and it took him until June 10 to reach that mark the second time.

But this year’s version of Cease is vastly different from last year’s. He’s starting to unlock his Cy Young-calibre potential again, just as he did as an American League finalist in 2022 and as a fourth-place finisher in the NL two years ago.

“I love where he’s at,” manager John Schneider said of Cease, who lowered his ERA to 2.41 and FIP to 1.88 on the season following his latest pitching gem.

Cease, who leads the AL in strikeouts this season with 75 and trails only Milwaukee’s Jacob Misiorowski (80) for first among major-league starters, wasn’t nearly as efficient with his pitch count this time compared to his previous start against the Angels — when he registered a 68 per cent strike rate, his third-highest clip since the start of last season.

But he still attacked the strike zone aggressively, converting 61.6 per cent of his 99 pitches for strikes across seven innings of one-run, three-hit ball in Wednesday’s 5-3 walk-off, extra-innings win over the Rays.

If Cease had it his way, though, his outing would’ve continued into the eighth. Schneider joked post-game that he had to tell his starting pitcher to “pump the breaks” in the moment. The time will come to push him further — or, at least, this team hopes it will.

Dylan Cease isn't ready to leave the game

🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/4Y8manxjxp

— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) May 14, 2026

From Cease’s first pitch, it was clear he had some of his best no-hit stuff, quite literally, as he didn’t allow a single baserunner to reach his first time through Tampa Bay’s lineup.

“He was in total control,” said Schneider. “He’s pitching and understanding when he needs to get a quick out, and understanding when he needs to get a strikeout. I thought him and [Tyler Heineman] had a great mix of pitches throughout his entire outing.”

It was one of those nights where Cease had confidence in all six of his pitches. But his sinker, in particular, proved to be one of his most overpowering weapons against the Rays hitters. He utilized it against both righties and lefties, producing a 38 per cent CSW% (called strike + whiff rate) on 16 swings, but it was most effective versus left-handed batters.

The 30-year-old righty excels at throwing front-hip sinkers in those matchups, and it’s one of his favourite pitches to execute with. That’s because of how difficult it is to make contact against, especially when he’s dotting it up-and-in at 97 m.p.h. — like he did to Jonathan Aranda for a called strike three in the top of the first inning.

“For lefties, I think it’s a hard pitch to stay in on and I think it opens up a lot of other pitches,” Cease said. “It’s never going to be my bread and butter, but I think it’s a pitch that I could go to, to either get the strike or set something else up. So it’s helped a lot.”

Source: Baseball Savant

These last two starts are part of what the Blue Jays organization envisioned when they made the giant free-agent splash for Cease over the off-season, inking him to the richest free-agent contract in franchise history. And they did that, believing this is who he could become with some work around the edges.

While this is only a tiny sample size and there’s still plenty of ball left to play, you can start to imagine where this train could ultimately end up if it stays on course.

“I always think that there’s room to be better and [you] learn from every start,” said Cease. “But, I like where my feel has been, especially the last two [starts]. So, if I stay right there and just continue to do that, I’m gonna be very happy.”

When Cease is pitching like this, not only is he virtually untouchable, but he also makes work for his teammates behind him pretty “boring,” particularly if you’re watching him from centre field like Daulton Varsho.

“He’s a great pitcher. He’s very intelligent,” Varsho added, after producing the club’s first walk-off grand slam since Steve Pearce’s in 2017. “He knows what he wants to do on the mound, and he’s earned everything he’s gotten so far. He’s developed even better than what I faced him when he was in Chicago and San Diego. So it’s very impressive to watch.”

Thanks to Varsho’s heroics, the Blue Jays edged out the Rays in Wednesday’s rematch series finale at the Rogers Centre, avoiding another sweep and earning their first victory against them in six attempts this season. It’s a massive swing that not only both he and the team needed, but also a momentum shift that all involved hope will carry over on the upcoming road trip through Detroit and New York (Bronx).

Fortunately for Toronto’s injury-depleted rotation, Cease’s next start is lined up for Tuesday’s contest against the Yankees, whose boom-or-bust offence entered Wednesday leading the majors in home runs (66) across the quarter-mark of the 2026 campaign.

Based on these last two dominating Dylan Cease start days, that figures to be a must-watch showdown.

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Blue Jays: George Springer’s offensive struggles in 2026 go deeper than his toe injury

Ben Wrixon — Wed, 13 May 2026 23:00:15 GMT

George Springer had an unexpectedly great season last year for the Toronto Blue Jays. The veteran right-handed bat posted a .959 OPS with 32 home runs, and a career-best .399 on-base percentage—all while turning 36 in September.

After defying Father Time for much of 2025, Springer has looked his age this season. He’s slashing .209/.287/.330 after picking up two hits during Tuesday’s 7-6 extra-innings loss against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The glaring issue plaguing Springer is that he’s been playing with a fractured toe. Hitting a baseball is hard enough when you’re feeling great, let alone when your foot is constantly in aching pain. Still, he’s in the lineup so his numbers count—and right now they aren’t living up to his past production.

Springer simply hasn’t been hitting the ball as hard as he did in 2025; his hard-hit percentage has dropped from 47.6% last year to just 38.8% now. His max exit velocity, meanwhile, is just 108.8 mph after topping out at 114 mph last year. His average exit velocity is also down this season.

His batted ball distribution reflects this decline in hard-hit balls. Just 16.4% of his batted balls thus far have been line drives, compared to over 25% of them in 2025. Even more concerning is that he’s popping up balls 13.4% of the time, which would be the highest rate of his career over a full season. That’s not a recipe for doing damage.

The actual mechanics of Springer’s swing are mostly unchanged despite the nagging toe injury. He hasn’t lost any bat speed, and his swing tilt is only one degree lower than last season. His attack angle has dropped from 13 degrees down to 10, but his ideal attack angle percentage has actually gone up.

Still, the eye test tells another story. Springer has frequently looked off-balance since returning from the injured list. It’s not just his usual big swings where he ends up on a knee; he just hasn’t looked settled in the box. His base doesn’t appear as stable, which is to be expected given his injury.

What’s troubling is that Springer wasn’t tearing the cover off the ball before he fractured his toe. He wasn’t showing the same power he did last year. A long season and extended playoff run may have caught up to him, sapping him of some of his power in his age-36 season. He’s endured a lot of wear and tear over the years.

Springer is certainly better than what he’s showing right now. He’s going to get hot at some point. Still, it’s fair to wonder if the drop in his production most feared would come and may end up being more pronounced than everyone hoped. Only time will tell.

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Blue Jays prospect Brandon Barriera left Single-A game with apparent injury

Ryley Delaney — Wed, 13 May 2026 22:30:59 GMT

There’s some more bad news on the injury front for Toronto Blue Jays pitching prospect Brandon Barriera.

The left-handed pitcher departed Wednesday evening’s Dunedin Blue Jays game with an apparent injury after delivering a pitch in the bottom of the third inning. As of now, it’s unclear what the injury is or the severity of it.

Drafted 23rd overall in the 2022 draft, Barriera has had a string of injuries since turning professional. The lefty was limited to just 20 and one-third innings pitched in 2023, missing time with both a shoulder and elbow injury. In his first outing of the 2024 season, Barriera was pulled after spiking a ball in the dirt and later required Tommy John surgery.

The 22-year-old lefty missed the remainder of the 2024 season, returning in June of 2025. However, he was once again injured in July after appearing in five games, missing the remainder of the season due to a broken ulna.

With all the injuries, the development has been slow-going at best. The left-handed pitcher hasn’t pitched above Single-A, and has never pitched more than 20.1 innings in a season. Between 2024 and 2025, Barriera threw just seven innings.

Barriera return to action to begin the 2026 season, entering Wednesday’s game with a 6.28 ERA and 5.77 FIP. He had a significant number of innings under his belt in 2026, getting through 17 innings before being pulled. Barriera has struck out 15 of the 91 batters he faced (16.5 K%), but amassed 12 walks in that span.

Hopefully, it’s not a serious injury, because what Barriera needs at this point for his development is to stay healthy and throw innings. When he’s on, the left-handed pitcher can average in the mid-90s with a sharp slider, but he just hasn’t been able to showcase that since being drafted.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Blue Jays Gameday (May 13): Toronto looks to win series finale against Tampa Bay Rays

Michael Coyle — Wed, 13 May 2026 21:15:51 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays enter Wednesday riding a three-game losing streak, and at this point will be happy to see the Tampa Bay Rays leave town.

The Rays (28-13) have made life miserable for Blue Jays’ players, coaches, and fans over the past week, taking all five matchups, and outscoring the Blue Jays 27-15 over the course of those meetings.

During Tuesday night’s 7-6 extra innings loss, the Blue Jays showed fight, coming down from five runs to tie the game before eventually falling in the 10th inning. Outside of the seventh inning, where the Blue Jays scored five of their six runs, the offence once again struggled, being held to only six hits, and failing to hit a home run for the second time in three games.

The Blue Jays (18-24) were only able to record two extra-base hits in the loss on Tuesday, the first being a RBI double from Jesús Sánchez before Yohendrick Piñango doubled home two more three batters later. Both of these two players have been bright spots in the Blue Jays’ lineup this season as Sánchez sits tied for second in home runs with five, and Piñango is batting .375 across his first 32 career at-bats.

Griffin Jax is set to make his fourth start of the season for the Rays in the series finale. Through 14 games this year, Jax is 1-2 with a 5.00 ERA and 1.44 WHIP. Opposing teams have been able to hit the 31-year-old at a .242 clip, blasting three home runs off the right-hander over his 18 innings pitched.

After being a reliever for much of his career with the Minnesota Twins, the Rays are attempting to turn Jax back into a starter, something he hasn’t done consistently since his rookie year in 2021. Jax’s last outing in Boston on May 7th was the longest of his season to this point, throwing four innings and topping out at 59 pitches.

Set to take the mound for the Blue Jays is right-hander Dylan Cease. Cease is coming off his finest outing in a Blue Jays uniform, where he threw seven shutout innings and struck out 10 Angels in a 2-0 win on May 8.

Through eight starts, Cease is 3-1 with a 2.58 ERA and 1.24 WHIP and has struck out 66 batters over his 45 1/3 innings pitched, tied for the third most in MLB. The 30-year-old struggled early on in the year with pitch efficiency and control, but has been locked in over his past two outings, striking out 17 batters compared to only one walk.

Here’s how the lineups look for Wednesday’s series finale at Rogers Centre:

First Pitch: 7:07 PM ET

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet One, SN590

Starting Pitchers

Toronto Blue Jays – Dylan Cease: 3-1 record, 2.58 ERA, 45.1 IP, 66 SO, 18 BB

Tampa Bay Rays – Griffin Jax: 1-2 record, 5.00 ERA, 18 IP, 17 SO, 11 BB

Lineups:

Blue Jays:

George Springer – DH
Yohendrick Piñango – LF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Daulton Varsho – CF
Jesús Sánchez – RF
Ernie Clement – 2B
Andrés Giménez – SS
Tyler Heineman – C

Rays:

Chandler Simpson – LF
Junior Caminero – 3B
Jonathan Aranda – 1B
Yandy Díaz – DH
Jake Fraley – RF
Richie Palacios – 2B
Cedric Mullins – CF
Hunter Feduccia – C
Taylor Walls – SS

Blue Jays prospect Jake Cook promoted to Single-A

Ryley Delaney — Wed, 13 May 2026 18:00:11 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays third round pick in 2025, Jake Cook, is heading to Single-A.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Blue Jays’ Single-A team, the Dunedin Blue Jays, announced that the outfield prospect is being promoted a level, and will make his Florida State League debut Wednesday evening.

LET JAKE COOK👨‍🍳@BlueJays No. 11 prospect Jake Cook has been promoted to Class-A Dunedin! pic.twitter.com/B9pPyNzKjb

— Dunedin Blue Jays (@DunedinBlueJays) May 13, 2026

The Jays drafted Cook in the third round of the 2025 draft after having a solid collegiate season. In 60 games with Southern Mississippi, Cook slashed .350/.436/.468 with three home runs in 284 plate appearances. Moreover, he struck out just 19 times (6.7 K%) and had a 10.9 BB%.

Cook is one of the more intriguing prospects in the Blue Jays’ system. The outfielder spent his first two collegiate seasons as a pitcher, reaching the mid-90s as a lefty, but struggled with command. Despite not hitting since high school, Cook showed that he had an above-average hit tool, with 80-grade speed and stellar defence.

Although he is one of the more intriguing prospects in the system, he’s also raw. As fast as he is, Cook stole just three bases in eight attempts in college, while hitting 16 extra-base hits. The 22-year-old hasn’t shown much in the way for power either, which is due in large part to not hitting since high school heading into last year.

That said, Cook stands at 6’3”, 185 lbs, so it stands to reason that with more experience, he could find himself hitting it over the fence every now and then.

Cook began his season with the Florida Complex League Blue Jays, slashing .188/.350/.188 with three singles in 20 plate appearances. In those 20 plate appearances, Cook drew four walks and struck out three times, giving him a 67 wRC+.

The outfielder will join other top 30 prospects like JoJo Parker, Blaine Bullard, and Juan Sanchez with the D-Jays.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Blue Jays prospect Arjun Nimmala is swinging a hot bat in Double-A New Hampshire

Tyson Shushkewich — Wed, 13 May 2026 11:00:48 GMT

After being promoted to Double-A New Hampshire on May 3rd, Blue Jays top prospect Arjun Nimmala isn’t wasting any time getting acclimated in his new digs.

The former first-round pick and middle infielder got into his first game against the Portland Sea Dogs on May 5th, collecting his first hit with the Fisher Cats but also striking out three times in his debut. While Nimmala was able to drive the ball to the opposite field, it was a bit of a rude awakening for the Florida product.

The following game was postponed due to the weather, so a doubleheader was scheduled for Thursday to make up for the lost game. Nimmala found himself starting both contests, and across nine collective at-bats, he added two more hits, a walk, and an RBI to his total. This brought his average to .231 with his new squad.

Fast forward to the Friday night contest, and Nimmala and his teammates brought forward their best performance at the plate, beating the Sea Dogs by a score of 15-13. Nimmala went 4 for 6 in the two-hole, scoring two runs while collecting one double and one RBI with zero K’s at the plate. He started a five-run rally to start the first inning with a single the opposite way, and tacked on another single to kick off the second inning while also scoring another run. Nimmala’s double in the top of the ninth tacked on another run for the Fisher Cats, making it a 13-10 game.

Arjun Nimmala collects his 3rd hit of the night on a hustle double.

The #BlueJays No. 3 prospect is now batting .423 through his first 26 at-bats at Double-A.#BlueJays50 @FisherCats @MLBPipeline @arjun_baseball_ pic.twitter.com/lED08UwRwy

— Blue Jays Player Development (@JaysPlayerDev) May 13, 2026

The Jays prospect would collect another hit in the Sunday contest with Portland before getting a rest day on Monday, with New Hampshire back at home to welcome the Reading Fightin Phils. Nimmala got right back to work against the Phils, going 3 for 5 at the plate with one run scored and a double, while also staying out of the strikeout column. He also added a stolen base to his box score, his first since advancing to the Double-A level.

It’s a small sample size, but since the promotion, Nimmala has crafted a .423/.444/.500 slash line with two doubles, two RBIs, one walk, and six strikeouts to the tune of a .944 OPS. He is facing more advanced pitchers and finding early success, and it will be interesting to see how the opposing staff will adjust to Nimmala over time and how he counteracts those adjustments. Fielding-wise, he boasts a clean sheet at the shortstop position with 11 putouts and seven assists.

It’s an impressive start for the 20-year-old, who is almost three years younger than the average age in the league. While the .400 average is likely not sustainable for the rest of the year, if Arjun Nimmala continues to put a good swing on the ball and continue to make smart at-bats, a cup of coffee in Triple-A to round out the season could be on the horizon.

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Instant Reaction: Blue Jays drop third in a row with extra inning loss against Tampa Bay Rays

Michael Coyle — Wed, 13 May 2026 10:00:34 GMT

The Tampa Bay Rays continued their 2026 dominance over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night, taking home a 7-6 win to improve to 5-0 against the Blue Jays this season.

The Blue Jays put up more of a fight in this one, surging back from down 5-0 to tie the game in the seventh inning before falling in extra innings, dropping their record to 18-24.

The Rays took the lead in the 10th on a Taylor Walls single that cashed home Cedric Mullins, who was the automatic runner to open the top half of the frame. After moving to second on a Yandy Díaz walk, Walls then advanced to third on a wild pitch from Braydon Fisher before scoring on a Jonathan Aranda sacrifice fly.

Garrett Cleavinger was tasked with the bottom of the 10th inning. The Rays’ left-hander got Yohendrick Piñango to ground out to first, which advanced the automatic runner, George Springer, to third. Springer then came home on a sacrifice fly by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., but that’s all the Blue Jays could muster. The save was Cleavinger’s first of the 2026 season.

For the second time in under a week, Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Shane McClanahan dominated the Toronto Blue Jays’ offence.

After shutting out the Blue Jays last week over 5 2/3, McClanahan dazzled over five innings Tuesday night, allowing only one hit and striking out seven. The 29-year-old has returned to ace form this year after missing all of 2024 and 2025 with arm injuries. Over eight starts, McClanahan is 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA and 0.98 WHIP, improving his strikeout total to 41 over 39 2/3 innings this season.

The only trouble McClanahan ran into on Tuesday was during the bottom of the fifth inning. After holding the Blue Jays hitless over the first four innings, Lenyn Sosa led off the inning by reaching on a Junior Caminero fielding error, followed by an Ernie Clement single. Daulton Varsho bounced into a fielder’s choice and then stole second base, setting up runners on third and second with only one out.

McClanahan’s exit seemed to spark the Blue Jays as they rallied for five runs in the seventh inning against Rays’ relievers, Casey Legumina and Cole Sulser, showing some fight after a lifeless first six innings. Clement opened the inning with a single before coming around to score the Blue Jays’ first run of the game on a Jesús Sánchez double.

Catcher Brandon Valenzuela kept the line moving, working a walk, which was followed by a Springer RBI single. Piñango stepped up to the plate next and jolted some life into Rogers Centre with a ringing double to right center field to score two runs. Following a 1-for-3 night, Piñango is now batting .375 with six RBIs through his 32 big-league at-bats.

Pinango drives in two! It's now a one-run game!!!!

🎥: Sportsnet | #BlueJays50 pic.twitter.com/cMf5NaHnIy

— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) May 13, 2026

The Blue Jays tied the game with a little help from the Rays’ defence. Caminero was charged with his second error of the night, allowing a Guerrero ground ball to bounce off his glove into left field to tie the game at 5-5. Caminero leads MLB with nine errors on the season.

Blue Jays’ left-hander Patrick Corbin grinded through 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits as the pesky Rays’ lineup continued to cause the Blue Jays’ pitching staff problems. Even with the short outing, Corbin has given the rotation stability, going 1-1 with a 3.93 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over his seven starts.

Rays’ left fielder Ryan Vilade tagged Jeff Hoffman for the only home run of the night, driving a fastball 390 feet to left field for his second home run of the season. Both of Vilade’s home runs this season have come against the Blue Jays. The 27-year-old tagged Eric Lauer last Tuesday for a three-run shot, prior to the left-hander being designated for assignment by the club.

The Blue Jays will look to snap their three-game losing streak on Wednesday in the series finale against the Rays when they hand the ball to Dylan Cease. Cease dazzled in his last outing, striking out 10 Los Angeles Angels over seven shutout innings to pick up his third win of the season. The Rays will counter with right-hander Griffin Jax.

First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. EST at Rogers Centre.

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Blue Jays pitching prospect Jake Bloss struck out four in return to game action

Ryley Delaney — Tue, 12 May 2026 22:00:52 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays could have another internal option for the fifth spot in the rotation sooner rather than later.

On Tuesday afternoon, Jake Bloss returned to the mound after a year off, pitching for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays. Over two and one-third innings, Bloss allowed a single, but struck out four players without giving up a run.

Bloss, 24, most recently pitched for the Buffalo Bisons on May 3rd, 2025, but departed that game. Shortly after, it was announced that the right-handed pitcher underwent Tommy John surgery, missing the rest of the 2025 season and the first month of the 2026 season.

With Eric Lauer being designated for assignment on Monday afternoon, the Jays are looking for a starter to fill the fifth spot in the rotation, whether it be an external option, or an internal option like Chad Dallas, CJ Van Eyk, or Bloss.

Of those three internal options, Bloss is the only pitcher with big league experience. Drafted 99th overall in 2023 by the Houston Astros, Bloss joined the Astros’ Arizona Complex League team, then their Single-A team to finish out the season. The following season, his first full professional season, Bloss pitched at the High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A level.

Due to injuries in the Astros’ rotation, Bloss was called up to the big leagues, where he made three starts and had a 6.94 ERA and 7.62 FIP in 11.2 innings pitched. Just over a week after his third start, Bloss was traded alongside Will Wagner and Joey Loperfido to the Blue Jays for Yusei Kikuchi.

Joining the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons to end 2024, he didn’t allow an earned run in his first 10.2 innings pitched, but ultimately finished with a 6.91 ERA and 5.87 FIP in 27.1 innings pitched after the trade. In his first five starts in 2025 before the injury, Bloss had a 6.46 ERA and 4.76 FIP in 23.2 innings pitched.

Bloss is still widely considered one of the Blue Jays’ best pitching prospects. Hopefully, the stuff is still there because he could be a big help to the rotation this season.

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Blue Jays Gameday (May 12): Toronto hosts Rays looking to snap two-game losing streak

Michael Coyle — Tue, 12 May 2026 21:15:50 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays enter Tuesday looking to get back on track.

After Monday night’s 8-5 loss against the Tampa Bay Rays, the Blue Jays have now lost two games in a row, dropping their record to 18-23 through 41 games. The Blue Jays sit fourth in the American League East, 9.5 games back of the Rays, who are 9-1 in their past 10 games.

The Rays have had the Blue Jays’ number to open 2026, taking all four meetings and outscoring the Blue Jays 20-9 to this point. Though, the five runs the Jays scored on Monday were the most the Rays conceded since April 21st.

Shane McClanahan is set to take the mound for the Rays, who sit with a 27-13 record on May 12. The left-hander faced the Blue Jays in his most recent outing, throwing 5 2/3 shutout innings in the Rays’ 3-0 victory at Tropicana Field on May 6.

After missing all of 2024 and 2025 with various ailments, McClanahan has returned to the ace form he showcased over the first three years of his career. Through seven starts, McClanahan is 4-2 with a 2.60 ERA and 1.07 WHIP over 34 2/3 innings pitched. After striking out four Blue Jays last Wednesday, the 29-year-old raised his strikeout total to 34.

The Blue Jays will counter with left-hander Patrick Corbin. Corbin has been one of the better stories for the Blue Jays through the early portion of the 2026 regular season. After signing with the Blue Jays on April 4, the 36-year-old has stabilized the backend of the rotation over his six starts. Corbin is 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.27 WHIP over his 30 innings pitched.

Corbin faced the Rays in his last outing, going 5 2/3 innings, allowing only two earned runs on five hits. The Blue Jays have limited Corbin early on as the left-hander has topped out at 85 pitches, and has yet to reach the six-inning mark.

The Blue Jays’ offence struggled to muster anything off McClanahan, generating only two hits, both doubles, first by Kazuma Okamoto, and then by Myles Straw. After being held to five hits on Sunday and six on Monday, the Blue Jays’ bats need to get going if they want to get back into the win column.

The Blue Jays need Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to get going. The 27-year-old is 3-for-24 over his past seven games, with his last extra-base hit coming on April 28 in a 3-0 win against the Boston Red Sox. Guerrero’s last home run came all the way back on April 20 in a 5-2 win against Los Angeles Angels left-hander Reid Detmers.

Here’s how the two lineups look for the middle game of the three-game series:

Location: Toronto, Ontario

First Pitch: 7:07 PM ET

Watch/Listen: Sportsnet One, SN590

Starting Pitchers

Toronto Blue Jays – Patrick Corbin: 1-1 record, 3.60 ERA, 30.0 IP, 21 SO, 9 BB

Tampa Bay Rays – Shane McClanahan: 4-2 record, 2.60 ERA, 34 2/3 IP, 34 SO, 14 BB

Lineups:

Blue Jays:

George Springer – DH
Myles Straw – RF
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – 1B
Kazuma Okamoto – 3B
Lenyn Sosa – 2B
Ernie Clement – SS
Daulton Varsho – CF
Davis Schneider – LF
Brandon Valenzuela – C

Rays:

Yandy Díaz – DH
Jonathan Aranda – 1B
Junior Caminero – 3B
Ryan Vilade – LF
Jonny DeLuca – RF
Ben WIlliamson – 2B
Cedric Mullins – CF
Nick Fortes – C
Taylor Walls – SS