Rays’ Taj Bradley brings scorching streak into begin vs. Jays

Taj Bradley aims to win his fifth consecutive decision for the Tampa Bay Rays in the decisive contest of a three-game series against the host Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday afternoon.

While going 4-0 over his past seven starts, the right-hander has compiled a 0.82 ERA with an .170 opponents’ batting average. He has struck out 51 and walked 16 over 44 innings during that span.

The Rays need the win on Thursday to finish their seven-game road trip with a winning record. They are 3-3 on the trip and 1-1 in the series after losing 6-3 to the Blue Jays on Wednesday. The Rays’ overall record dropped to .500 for the 24th time this season, extending the team record.

Bradley (5-4, 2.63 ERA) threw seven shutout innings in each of his past two starts. He held the Cleveland Guardians to five hits in a 2-0 win on July 12, then limited the New York Yankees to one hit in a 9-1 victory on Saturday.

“Overall a really impressive outing,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the start in New York. “He’s just on a dominant run right now where he’s really feeling good with all of his pitches.”

Bradley said that he does not dwell on his recent success.

“Nah, I go start to start,” he said. “All those outings in the past, they’re in the past.”

Bradley has not had success against the Blue Jays, going 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA in four career outings (two starts), all last season.

The Blue Jays are scheduled to start right-hander Chris Bassitt (8-8, 3.71). In seven career games (six starts), he is 1-4 with a 3.43 ERA against the Rays, including an 0-2 record and a 5.91 ERA in two starts this season.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit a solo home run and an RBI single on Wednesday to help the Blue Jays improve to 2-3 on their nine-game homestand. Guerrero has 18 homers for the season, five in his past six games.

The Rays lead the season series 5-4. The teams will meet for the final time this year Sept. 20-22 at St. Petersburg, Fla.

It will give Rays fans a last chance to see Kevin Kiermaier, the Blue Jays center fielder for the past two seasons and a Rays stalwart before that.

Kiermaier announced on Wednesday that he will retire at the end of the season.

“I’m more than happy,” Kiermaier said. “I’m at peace with my decision. The year is not over yet. Who knows what’s left in store?”

Kiermaier, 34, has played 11 seasons (plus one game in 2013) in the majors, winning four Gold Glove awards.

“The way I reflect on it, the product I put on the field now still can be good, but the effort it takes to get it to what I’ve been used to all those years, with my speed and defense and arm and everything, it’s tough,” he told the Tampa Bay Times. “I knew this year was going to be tough just with how I felt last year, and I know as the years go by it’s going to get tougher and tougher.”

–Field Level Media