After an 11-game winning streak, the Toronto Blue Jays (38-38) could be swept today at 12:10 p.m. by the Tampa Bay Rays (41-37), who have been able to cool Toronto's piping hot bats. Toronto's attempt to salvage the series can be live streamed here. Blue Jays fans can listen to the game on SN590, while Rays fans can tune in to WDAE 620.
The Blue Jays hand the ball to R.A. Dickey (6-8, 5.15 ERA), who has been a baseball Jekyll & Hyde all year long. His performances have swung from brilliant to atrocious, and there has been little rhyme or reason to which version of the former National League Cy Young winner will show up.
Toronto is also expecting a boost from shortstop Jose Reyes, who will finally be activated off the disabled list after missing nearly two months with a severely sprained ankle he suffered in mid-April.
"I'm very excited about it," Reyes said. "I missed two months of doing what I love to do and now I know I'm going to be on the field one more time around my team."
Before hurting his ankle, Reyes was batting .395 with one home run, five RBI, five runs scored and five stolen bases in five attempts. He had also posted an on base percentage of .465, which, combined with the power of Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion, could make the Jays batting order devastating.
The Rays will send Roberto Hernandez (4-8, 5.14 ERA) to the mound to face Toronto's boppers. Hernandez doesn't profile as the type of pitcher to do well against a homer-happy batting order. He has surrendered 13 dingers already in 2013, and is serving up more than one per nine innings.
This could be a high-scoring affair, so Hernandez and the Rays will hope rookie Wil Myers can keep his hot hand. Myers has eight RBI in nine games with the big club.
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