It’s not quite clinching day just yet.
But with a victory on Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays could be one day away from securing their spot in the post-season.
The Blue Jays and Rays are set to wrap a four-game set at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Florida, with Toronto eyeing a series victory while Tampa Bay looks for the split.
Live coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ begins at 1:10 p.m. ET / 10:10 a.m. ET.
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Watch Blue Jays vs. Rays on Sportsnet
The Toronto Blue Jays play the finale of a four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday. Catch the action on Sportsnet or Sportsnet+, starting at 1:10 p.m. ET / 10:10 a.m. PT.
Chris Bassitt (11-8, 3.90 ERA) gets the nod for the Blue Jays having not allowed more than two runs in any of his previous five starts. The veteran righty most recently tossed five innings in a win over the Baltimore Orioles, allowing just one run on two hits while striking out six.
He’ll share the mound with Rays right-hander Shane Baz (9-12, 5.15 ERA), who was torched for six hits and five runs in just 2.1 innings during his last start against the Chicago Cubs.
Daulton Varsho also returns to the lineup after getting Wednesday off, batting sixth in the order.
The Blue Jays and Rays — as usual — have been engaged in tight affairs throughout the series, with Toronto taking the first two games by scores of 2-1 and 6-5 before Tampa Bay fought back with a 2-1 win of its own on Wednesday that halted its AL East rival’s winning streak at six games.
Tampa Bay also holds a 6-3 edge in the season series, with the teams set to meet again in the final regular-season series of the year starting next Friday.
Still, Toronto’s magic number to clinch a post-season spot is three, which means it could book its spot at the dance as soon as Friday.
The Blue Jays (89-63) hold four-game leads over both the Detroit Tigers (85-67) for the No. 1 seed in the AL and the New York Yankees (85-67) for the division title.
The Rays, meanwhile, sit nine games out of a wild-card spot, with every team below them in the standings already eliminated from contention.
After finishing up in Florida, the Blue Jays head to Kansas City for a three-game weekend series against the Royals before returning home for the final week of the regular season.
