ST. PETERSBURG -- Much has changed about Tropicana Field since the Blue Jays last visited for a three-game series in September 2024. Those were the final games under the Trop’s dome before it was shredded a few weeks later by Hurricane Milton, forcing Tampa Bay to use nearby George M. Steinbrenner Field as its makeshift home last season.
When the Blue Jays returned to the repaired stadium Monday, the team took some extra time before the game to get used to its new features, including turf that plays a little slower, a roof that lets in more light, a sound system and right-field video board.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is Toronto’s lack of success in St. Petersburg. A 5-1 loss in the series opener brought the Blue Jays’ record at the Trop to 29-50 since the start of 2016. Their .367 win percentage here is their second worst in any stadium where they’ve played at least 10 games over the last decade. Only visits to Cleveland’s Progressive Field (10-20) have ended in more disappointment.
Of course, Blue Jays manager John Schneider isn’t going to lean into that narrative. He likes coming to Tropicana Field since it allows him to spend time with his wife and children at their home near the team’s player development complex in Dunedin, Fla.
“It's not the building, it's not the turf, it's not the roof, it's not the lights, it's not anything,” Schneider said about the franchise’s rough fortunes. “[The Rays] are a good team. You’ve got to play better is the bottom line.”
The Blue Jays found themselves fighting uphill for basically the entire contest. The first three batters against starter Eric Lauer all reached -- Chandler Simpson singled, Junior Caminero walked and Ryan Vilade homered -- and Toronto found itself trailing 3-0 just eight pitches into the bottom of the first. That’s not where you want to be against a Rays team that has now gone 11 consecutive games without allowing more than three runs.
Lauer’s pitch to Vilade wasn’t a meatball by any means. It was a curveball that dipped below the zone, but it was still high enough for Vilade to drive it a Statcast-projected 413 feet to left field.
“It's definitely one that I would have liked to have back,” Lauer said. “I know he's a low-ball hitter, especially with spin. So I thought with it being so early in the game, we might be able to sneak one by him. I wasn't necessarily trying to throw it for a strike. I was thinking more of like a strikeout curveball. Didn't get it quite down enough. It was below the zone, but that's where he likes them. Had it been a little more on the edge of the plate, I think it would have been a different result. But I think looking back, it was just the wrong pitch selection."
Lauer was pretty sharp from there, retiring 10 of the next 11 hitters and allowing no more runs for the rest of his outing, which spanned 4 1/3 innings and 61 pitches.
“A lot of things actually were doing pretty good,” Lauer said about his stuff after that rocky beginning. “... I wish I would have had back those first few pitches, but I was able to stay locked in and get rolling a little bit.”
Toronto just couldn’t come up with a timely hit, going 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position and stranding multiple runners in four separate innings.
Lauer termed his season thus far as “a little disappointing for myself.” He has a 6.03 ERA, and his velocity has dipped since dealing with the flu in early April. He’s hoping some mechanical adjustments will get him back on track, but he’ll likely move back to the bullpen once José Berríos rejoins the team.
And when will that be? Berríos’ latest rehab start on Sunday didn’t inspire a lot of confidence, allowing seven earned runs and three homers over 3 2/3 innings for Triple-A Buffalo. Just as concerning is his sinker velocity, which averaged 92.2 mph last year, topping out at 92.1 mph over the weekend. The veteran right-hander has a 10.67 ERA through four rehab starts and has surrendered six home runs in 14 1/3 frames.
Prior to Monday’s game, Schneider said Berríos was on his way to St. Petersburg to meet with coaches and trainers to talk about what’s next. Right now, they don’t really know.
“I kind of want to just see how he's feeling,” Schneider said. “It's one thing to talk or text -- I just want to kind of sit down with him, [pitching coach Pete Walker] and the trainers, and kind of see exactly where he's at and what he's comfortable with going forward.”