In any series between an eighth and first seed, it’s going to be hard to find concrete advantages for the underdog — in any sport. Unfortunately for the Toronto Blue Jays, that’s the case in their wild-card matchup with the Tampa Bay Rays that opens Tuesday.
The Rays don’t just have the better record, they’ve got a three-game rotation of Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Charlie Morton compared to the Blue Jays’ group of Hyun-Jin Ryu, probably Taijuan Walker and a question mark. Tampa also has home field advantage, in a venue the Blue Jays despise, a better defensive team, superior base running and a far sharper bullpen.