Coming into the three-game series against Tampa Bay on Monday, Blue Jays fans knew they had a tall order ahead of them if they wanted to stay in the Wild Card race.
For one, the Rays lead the AL East division and are back in the postseason, following in last year’s footsteps when they made it all the way to World Series before bowing out to the Los Angeles Dodgers (although they made it via the Wild Card instead of being first place).
Secondly, the Blue Jays competition in the Wild Card standings had a relatively easy schedule these past few days, with the Boston Red Sox facing a struggling New York Mets squad while the New York Yankees are facing the Texas Rangers who boast the third-worst record across the major leagues.