Rays vs Blue Jays: Starting Lineup - Game Preview

Toronto Blue Jays ace Dylan Cease will make his third start of Spring Training today versus Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Nick Martinez. First Pitch 1:07 PM ET on Sportsnet and Rays TV.

Dylan Cease was solid in his last outing against the Phillies. Cease came out firing with a first-pitch fastball clocked at 98.3 miles per hour.

His hardest pitch of the day came later in that opening at-bat against Phillies rookie Justin Crawford: 98.9 m.p.h. with a 2-and-2 pitch that missed up and in.

He struck out three and gave up a solo homer over 1 2/3 innings in Toronto's 7-5 win, striking out Phillies stars Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper in a clean first inning.

While he has struck out at least 200 batters in each of the past five seasons, he has never thrown as many as 190 innings. At the same time, he has never missed a start.

Nick Martinez gets the ball for the Rays today. The 35-year-old inked a one-year, $13 million deal with the Rays in February after posting a 4.45 ERA in 40 outings (26 starts) with the Reds in 2025, but he also posted a 3.10 ERA in 42 appearances (16 starts) for the Reds in 2024.

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