The Tampa Bay Rays made an absolute statement on the diamond Tuesday night as they dominated the Toronto Blue Jays 12-2 to win their second game in a row.

Here is what you need to know from the contest. 

Rays Bats were on Fire

Tampa Bay started strong from the plate with a 3-run first inning with help from big base hits from Cedric Mullins, Jonny DeLuca, and Chandler Simpson.

Nick Fortes picked up his 4th homer of the season with a 3-run bomb to give the Rays a commanding 8-0 lead.

It was a big game for Yandy Diaz as well, he went 2 for 6 on the night, but most importantly he recorded his 1000th career hit in a very special way with a 3-run homer in the top of the ninth inning. 

Chandler Simpson is starting to gain traction as well. He was 4 for 5 from the plate, and although he is still looking for his first home run of the season, his numbers are impressive over the last stretch. In fact, over his last 24 games he has a .378 batting average and a .899 OPS.

Pitching Took Care of Business

Drew Rasmussen got the start for the first time since appearing in the All-Star Game last Tuesday, and he was solid

After escaping a loaded bases situation in the first inning, he kept the game clean until he allowed some base traffic that eventually came in to score to begin the 6th inning. He finished the night going 5 full innings and allowing 2 runs on 7 hits. He also recorded 5 strikeouts in the contest. 

The team only had to use 3 pitchers in the entire contest and should still be well rested heading into the final two games of the series. 

Keep the Momentum Rolling?

The Rays now move to 58-42 after the first 100 games of the season. They hold a 2-game lead over the New York Yankees for the AL East lead. A series sweep north of the border would be huge for the confidence of this squad.

Tampa Bay will go for three games in a row and look to continue to keep the streak in the right direction on Wednesday when they are right back in action against the Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre. Griffin Jax (5-7, 4.08 ERA) will get a chance to bounce back after a shaky outing to begin the second half of the season for the Rays. He will take on right-hander Braydon Fisher (3-3, 3.65 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 PM EST.