Rays surge into second place after embarrassing rout of rival Blue Jays

Second place? Are the Rays excelling in 2025? Well, yes and no. This scrappy club has been inconsistent this season, but when they are on a roll, you have to take notice. Chandler Simpson has been a menace on his 10-game hitting streak. Josh Lowe's return has been vital as he's lifted the offense to a greater potential. Curtis Mead is trending more towards his spring training feast. Brandon Lowe is officially back and if any of these are true statements, the Rays dominate their division rivals from Canada.

Rays complete sweep of Blue Jays after 13-0 onslaught

In a 1 pm showing, the Rays faced the Blue Jays at Steinbrenner Field after taking 2 out of 3 against them in Toronto. The recent history between these two teams have been very lopsided as Tampa Bay has won 15 of their last 20 games against their rivals. The Rays have averaged 5.35 runs per game in those contests, homering 29 times. Yesterday's exhibition only inflated those numbers.

Tampa Bay scored an uncharacteristic 13 runs in the rubber match as a combination of power and sloppy defense on the part of the Blue Jays helped the Rays to a exclamation point win, Brandon Lowe and Curtis Mead led the way with a pair of two-run home runs. B. Lowe also collected two more hits, improving his average to .238 on the season. Mead has also lifted his average above .200 after hitting .421 with three home runs in his last seven games.

An even more impressive feat from the finale was Ryan Pepiot's scoreless gem. The 27-year old hurler tossed seven innings of three-hit baseball against a talented offense with the likes of All-Stars Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. He's been on a roll in his last five outings, allowing only nine runs in those starts. After a great Opening Day start, Pepiot found himself faltering every fifth day. However, the former Dodger has overcome his struggles lately and yesterday's game was a huge indicator of that.

After winning their fifth straight game, the Rays have climbed into second place in the AL East. The division is much weaker than it's been in the past with the Yankees and Rays being the only clubs with a .500 or better record. Regardless, this trend could help the Rays sneak into a Wild Card spot at the back-end of the 2025 season.