Tampa Bay will try to snap a two-game losing streak when it travels to Cleveland for a series opener on Tuesday night. The Rays won the first two games of their series against Toronto over the weekend, but they lost the final two games. Cleveland is on a seven-game winning streak after sweeping Texas in a three-game set.
Tampa Bay is hitting the road for a nine-game trip to close out the regular season, making its first stop in Cleveland. The Rays have been in a rough patch, losing five of their last seven games. They were swept by Houston last week before splitting their four-game series with Toronto over the weekend. Their road trip includes stops in Houston and Boston, as they are looking to clinch a playoff spot. Tampa Bay is currently sitting two games ahead of Seattle for the second American League Wild Card spot, as of Monday afternoon. The Rays are 4.5 games ahead of Baltimore, so the Rays and Mariners are heavy favorites to make the postseason.
Chipped one off the deficit with a run delivered via air mail
MLB x @GEICO pic.twitter.com/MFuwPNowR7
— Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) September 25, 2022
The Rays have been showing some improvement at the plate during the second half of the season, moving up to No. 15 in team batting average (.242). Left fielder Randy Arozarena leads the way with 152 hits, including 20 home runs. He is facing a Cleveland pitching staff that is No. 6 with an ERA of 3.52. Right-handed pitcher Corey Kluber is going to start for Tampa Bay on Tuesday. He is coming off an excellent outing, allowing one run on six hits and a walk across seven innings against Houston last Wednesday. Kluber now has five quality starts in his last seven outings, but he still has a sub-par 4.30 ERA overall this season.