Blue Jays rocked early in return to Rays’ Tropicana Field

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The man who moaned about having to work behind an opener last month looked something like a pitcher who could have used one on Monday night.

Yes, Blue Jays starter Eric Lauer, who publicly complained about having an opener ahead of him earlier in the season, was rocked early in St. Petersburg, Fla., and his team never recovered.

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It was another frustratingly familiar night at the back-in-business Tropicana Field for the Jays in a game that was over almost before it started. The end result was a clinical 5-1 win by the sizzling Tampa Bay Rays, who are back as serious contenders in the AL East.

Just three batters into the contest — and before they had even record an out — the Jays trailed 3-0 thanks to three-run Ryan Vilade homer off of Lauer.

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Facing a stingy Rays pitching staff, it felt like the Jays were doomed early as they fell in the opener of a three-game series down in Florida. With more stout pitching to come the next two days, the Jays will have their hands full at a stadium that historically has been miserable to them.

It has been quite the upheaval this season for Lauer, who started off on somewhat of a sour note after losing his arbitration case against the team. Injuries gave him a spot in the rotation, a position yanked from him when rookie Trey Yesavage returned.

But Lauer didn’t even have an appearance out of the bullpen before he was back on the starting crew thanks to forearm and ankle issues that sidelined veteran Max Scherzer.

Out of the rotation in spring training, in it at the start of the season, out again and back in. And Lauer may be needed there for a while given the struggles Jose Berrios has had in rehab games. That being the case, the Jays will have to find a way to best utilize the left-hander for as long as he’s needed as a starter.

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Lauer went 4 1/3 innings on Monday as manager John Schneider clearly didn’t want him to face the Rays’ Junior Caminero for a third time. He allowed five hits and a walk, settling in nicely after that first-inning bruising.

Our takeaways from a second consecutive defeat that dropped the Jays record to 16-19.

Ray Days

It’s clear that the Rays are feeling comfortable back in their beloved home after a year away thanks to the roof being ripped off by Hurricane Milton in October 2024.

After Monday’s cruise control winning effort, manager Kevin Cash’s crew has now won eight in a row under their new roof, their longest home winning streak since the start of the 2023 season.

In each of those wins, the tight Tampa Bay pitching staff has held opponents to two runs or fewer.

The win on Monday improved their overall mark to 22-12 and the Rays now have the fourth best record in the majors.

With that start, the second-place Rays are certainly a concern for the Jays, who are now 6 1/2 games behind them. As noted, it won’t get any easier over the next two days as the Rays will send out Drew Rasmussen on Tuesday followed by Shane McClanahan for a matinee on Wednesday.

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Heineman on the bench

Did that “trash” at-bat on Sunday from Tyler Heineman — his words — land him on the bench for Monday’s opener of the three-game series in St. Pete?

Not necessarily, but it was Brandon Valenzuela behind the plate the night after a displeased Schneider removed him from the game following a meek bases-loaded pop-out in the sixth inning of a loss in Minnesota.

The question around the Jays catching situation, meanwhile, will be an interesting one going forward, especially with news yesterday that Alejandro Kirk’s broken thumb has healed to the point where he’ll soon be able to swing a bat.

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Injury updates

There’s always a believe-it-when-see-it element to Blue Jays injury updates, but at least there was some positive news Schneider had to share with reporters at the Trop prior to Monday’s game.

George Springer, who aggravated his broken toe in Minnesota on the weekend, has recovered to the point where he was a possibility to get into Monday’s game and he almost did. Springer was loosening up as a possible pinch-hitter in the ninth, but with two outs and nobody out returned to the dugout.

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Addison Barger, who belted a homer in his first rehab game on Sunday as he works his way back from an ankle sprain, could be back with the big team by as early as this weekend.

Schneider also told reporters that Scherzer is starting to feel better and that reliever Yimi Garcia is expected to begin throwing in rehab games as early as this weekend.

Quick Hits

Monday’s contest was the first of 13 meetings between the Jays and Rays, six of those coming over the next 10 days as the division rivals meet again next week in Toronto … The Rays have won four in a row and 10 of their previous 11 … The loss dropped the Jays’ road record to 6-11 … Latest evidence of the Jays’ need for power: Of the 10 hits they managed on Monday, eight were singles.

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