The Toronto Blue Jays face the Tampa Bay Rays in a crucial AL East matchup on Wednesday night. The Blue Jays enter with momentum, having won three straight games and 11 of their last 13, putting them firmly in second place in the division and four games ahead in the AL Wild Card race.

Yusei Kikuchi (4-5, 4.89 ERA) takes the mound for Toronto in his second start since returning from a three-week absence in July. In his last outing against Detroit, he allowed just one run over five innings.

The struggling Rays, who have lost four of their last five games, will employ a bullpen game starting with reliever Jalen Beeks. After a rough June (7 runs in 12.1 innings), Beeks showed improvement in July, allowing just one run across 8.2 innings of work.

Key Factors:

• Toronto needs to establish early offense against Tampa's bullpen approach
• The Blue Jays must stay patient facing multiple relief pitchers
• Tampa Bay's struggling offense needs to capitalize against Kikuchi
• Run support will be crucial for the Rays' bullpen strategy

The Rays currently sit one game behind Seattle for the second Wild Card spot, making this divisional matchup particularly important for both teams' playoff aspirations.

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