Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction & Match Preview - May 15th | MLB Season 2022

The Toronto Blue Jays will play game three of their weekend series versus the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, May 15, at Tropicana Field. By the time this one is played, these two teams will have impressed some significant changes on the American League East division standings.

Going into it, the Tampa Bay Rays are 19-13 and have won seven of their last 10 games. They're four games back of the 22-8 New York Yankees.

The Blue Jays are the opposite. They've only won three of their past ten games and have lost three straight series. Since mid-April, they've fallen from first to third place in the American League East.

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Match Details

Fixture: Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays.

Date & Time: Sunday, May 15, 2022, 1:40 p.m. EDT

Venue: Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay, Florida.

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Toronto Blue Jays Preview

The Blue Jays need momentum, and they need it now. They're just three wins better than the Baltimore Orioles, which should be an unacceptable statistic for a team hailed as the league's second-best during Spring Training.

Jose Berrios has a 5.82 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP through his first seven starts. Closer Jordan Romano has been struggling of late and blew a save against the Yankees his last time out. Blue Jays hitters can barely produce with runners in scoring position. Jays fans hope this is just a slump, but it's starting to feel like something worse.

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Key Player - Alek Manoah

Toronto Blue Jays SP Alek Manoah will take the mound on Sunday

Here's a dash of good news for the Blue Jays matchup against the Rays this Sunday: Alek Manoah will take the mound. He owns a sparkling 1.75 ERA and 0.89 WHIP through his first six starts this season. He's pitched 36 innings, which is more than Berrios has managed in seven starts. His ERA+ of 211 is the best on the Blue Jays.

"Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman Two of the best Jays pitchers in a while" - @Alex

Kevin Gausman may be getting Cy Young race attention, but Alek Manoah deserves like treatment. He has one of the best barrel percentages for pitchers in the league (88th percentile), and his chase rate is in the league's 73rd percentile. Manoah will be key if the Blue Jays are going to break out of this slump.

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Toronto Blue Jays Projected Lineup

Starting pitcher: Alek Manoah (RHP)

1. George Springer (R) DH
2. Bo Bichette (R) SS
3. Vladimir Guerrero (R) 1B
4. Teoscar Hernandez (R) RF
5. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (R) LF
6. Alejandro Kirk (R) C
7. Matt Chapman (R) 3B
8. Santiago Espinal (R) 2B
9. Raimel Tapia (L) CF

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Tampa Bay Rays Preview

The Tampa Bay Rays look the same as always this year. They find run production in unexpected players and mold wins together out of a bullpen that can pitch four to five innings a game. They won 100 games last season and are already on track to repeat.

The Rays have struck gold in a couple players heading into this weekend's series. Manuel Margot is batting .337 with 20 RBIs on the season. He's listed as day-to-day right now, which is unfortunate for the Rays' offense. Wander Franco should pick up any slack left behind by Margot. The 21-year-old is batting .304 with four home runs this season.

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Key Player - Corey Kluber

Tampa Bay Rays SP Corey Kluber got lit up by the Los Angeles Angels his last time out

Corey Kluber will be the Rays' key player on Sunday for two reasons: he will win the game or he will blow it. There's no in-between for Kluber in this one. When he's on, the 36-year-old can shut the door on teams. He did it against the Minnesota Twins on April 29 and against the Oakland Athletics on May 4. In those two games combined, Kluber pitched 12 innings and allowed just four hits and one run.

"Chad Wallach, who nearly homered in his first at-bat, rips a three-run blast off Corey Kluber and it's 8-0 #Angels in the third" - @Rhett Bollinger

But if Kluber isn't on his game, the Blue Jays hitters will rip him to shreds. The Los Angeles Angels made him pay during his last outing on May 10. They scored eight runs on 11 hits in just three innings. Kluber entered the game with a 1.05 WHIP. It was 1.31 by the time manager Kevin Cash pulled him.

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Tampa Bay Rays Projected Lineup

Starting pitcher: Corey Kluber (RHP)

1. Yandy Diaz (R) 3B
2. Wander Franco (S) DH
3. Ji-Man Choi (L) 1B
4. Randy Arozarena (R) LF
5. Francisco Mejia (S) C
6. Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF
7. Vidal Brujan (S) 2B
8. Taylor Walls (S) SS
9. Brett Phillips (L) RF

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Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction

Alek Manoah's matchup against Corey Kluber looks tasty for the Blue Jays, but don't forget about Tampa's ferocious bullpen. Combined, it owns an ERA below 2.50. It's already completed over 110 innings of work, which reflects how much trust Kevin Cash has in it.

If the Rays win this game, it will be through its bullpen. Availibity will be tight by the series finale, so Kluber will have to carry the team through, at least, five innings of work for the bullpen to be effective. Considering the beating he took in Los Angeles earlier this week, that doesn't seem likely. We're taking the Toronto Blue Jays to win this game by a score of 6-2.

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Where to follow the Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays

Watch: Sportsnet (Toronto Blue Jays), Bally Sports Florida (Tampa Bay Rays), MLB TV.