Instant Reaction: Blue Jays swept at Tropicana Field, fall 3-0 to Rays in series finale
Toronto lost 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday afternoon, suffering their second sweep of the 2026 MLB regular season.
The Blue Jays’ offence struggled once again, mustering only four hits, in what was their third shutout of the year, as Shane McClanahan, Kevin Kelly, Garrett Cleavinger, Bryan Baker, and Ian Seymour combined to hold the Blue Jays off the board.
Patrick Corbin was once again solid for the Blue Jays, pitching to a line of 5 1/3 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K as he continues to impress after being signed to a one-year, $1 million contract on Friday, April 3.
Through six starts, Corbin has a record of 1-0, an ERA of 3.60 and a WHIP of 1.27 over his 30 innings pitched. While Corbin doesn’t strike out a ton of opposing bats, highlighted by his 21 punchouts across 30 innings, the left-hander has limited hard contact (only eight barreled balls) and kept down his walk rate, which is sitting at 6.9%, his lowest total since 2022.
The Rays scratched both their runs off Corbin in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jonny DeLuca doubled home a Jonathan Aranda one-out walk and would advance to third base on a groundout by Ben Williamson. Chandler Simpson came through with a two-out single, driving a Corbin slider to right field for his eighth RBI of the 2026 season.
Rays’ left-hander McClanahan spun a gem, holding the Blue Jays to two hits over 5 ⅔ while striking out four. After missing all of 2024 and 2025 due to various arm ailments, the 29-year-old showcased why he was a former first-round draft pick, selected by the Rays 31st overall during the 2018 MLB Draft.
Through his first seven games of 2026, McClanahan has posted a record of 4-2, an ERA of 2.60 and a WHIP of 1.07. With the Blue Jays and Rays set to meet at the Rogers Centre beginning next Monday, McClanahan’s next scheduled start is set for Tuesday night in Toronto, giving the Blue Jays a second look at the left-hander.
The Rays scratched an unearned insurance run off Blue Jays reliever Louis Varland after the defence continued its poor play. With runners on first and second with one out, DeLuca hit a ground ball to Ernie Clement, who stepped on second base before an errant throw couldn’t be hauled in by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., allowing Cedric Mullins to push the Rays’ lead to 3-0.
The Blue Jays will have an off day on Thursday before returning to action on Friday, May 8, when they host the Los Angeles Angels at the Rogers Centre. Dylan Cease is scheduled to square off with left-hander Reid Detmers. These two arms matched up in Anaheim back on April 20, with Cease picking up the win, and Detmers taking the loss in a 5-2 Blue Jays win.
First pitch is set for 7:07 p.m. EST.