9* Tampa Bay (7:10 ET): Despite only scoring two runs and striking out 16 times, the Rays still managed to beat the Mets last night. They were facing Jacob deGrom, so they’ll take the win, ugly or not. Now Tampa Bay can wrap up the American League East with a win today (or Yankees loss to Toronto), which would guarantee them no lower than a 3-seed in the playoffs. No need to rely on the Blue Jays for help today. Look for the Rays to handle their own business and clinch the division w/ a win.

Having deGrom on the mound obviously gave the Mets their best chance of getting a win in this series. They failed, in large part due to an anemic offense that could manage only four hits. This on the heels of being shutout on Sunday. It was the 6th time in 9 games that the Mets were held to three runs or fewer as they’ve watched their playoff odds shrink rapidly. That kind of effort at the plate will almost never cut it. It certainly won’t tonight if starter Seth Lugo pitches anywhere close to as bad as he did his last time out when he gave up four home runs in 1 ⅔ innings. The Mets somehow still won that game (10-6), but that was lucky.

Blake Snell is likely to shut the Mets down in this game. The Rays starter for Tuesday has allowed 3 ER or less in every start but one this year and that came when he faced the same opponent (Miami) for a second straight time. In five road starts, Snell has a 0.986 WHIP. The Rays are simply better than the Mets even without a clear advantage on the mound. They should have little difficulty winning here. 9* Tampa Bay