Aug 19, 2026 6:47 AM
Updated Aug 19, 2026 10:44 AM

The Tampa Bay Rays stumbled again at home, falling 10-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays as their AL East lead shrinks to five games. The offense produced 13 hits, but a rough night from Nick Martinez and the pitching staff puts even more importance on Drew Rasmussen’s start Wednesday.

The Tampa Rays lose a game inside the division race as they fall to the Toronto Blue Jays 10-5 at Tropicana Field on Tuesday night. 

With the defeat, the team now only holds a 5-game lead over the New York Yankees in the AL East standings. 

Here's what you need to know from the contest. 

Not a good start for Martinez. 

The Tampa Bay All-Star picked up its fourth loss of the season after having a dreadful start on the mound. Nick Martinez allowed six earned runs across 3.2 innings of work, including one home run against Alejandro Kirk. 

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Martinez allowed nine hits and two walks in the contest. This may be worth paying attention to, as Martinez has allowed 10 earned runs over his last two starts. However, his last start against the Athletics was a complete game where he pitched all nine innings in a 12-4 victory. 

Five runs should have done it. 

There's not much to get upset about with the Tampa Bay offense, as the team did a really good job at the plate. 

Every player who took an at-bat for Tampa Bay recorded a hit in the contest, and the team combined for 13 against Blue Jays pitching. They only struck out three times and found themselves on base a good amount of time. Tampa was even successful with runners in scoring position, going 4 for 8 on the night. 

Unfortunately, it was just a bad night for Tampa Bay's pitching staff, and the offense couldn't keep up. 

Need to watch out for Toronto. 

Although the team is 14 games back of the division lead, this might not be the best time to play the Blue Jays. The team has now won 13 of their last 19 games, and some of their top players are playing some very good baseball. Rookie hitter Kazuma Okamoto Broke a Toronto Blue Jays rookie home run record on Tuesday night as he recorded his 25th of the season against the Rays' pitching staff. 

It'll be crucial for Tampa Bay to bounce back quickly on Wednesday, get back in the win column, and slow down the momentum of Toronto as they look to keep the AL East standings far ahead of the rest of the other teams. 

Drew Rasmussen will get the start on Wednesday for Tampa Bay. He will face right-hander Max Scherzer for the Blue Jays. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 pm Eastern. 

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