The Tampa Bay Rays have been playing some excellent baseball of late, winning four of their last five games. Now, the team will have a sweep on their minds against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. In the first two games of their series against the Braves, it’s hard to have things go much better for Tampa Bay. They have been able to secure comfortable wins of 7-1 and 7-2, outscoring the Braves 14-3 in the first two games.With a combination of excellent pitching and offense, the Rays must feel good heading into the series finale on Thursday. Despite some of the recent success, the team still hasn’t been able to shake the New York Yankees in the American League East. The Yankees aren’t going away, with the lead being just four games, but the pressure they have been putting on Tampa Bay has been answered so far. On Thursday, the Rays will be shaking up the lineup a bit with a left-hander on the mound to start the game for the Braves. Rays Shake Up Lineup#Rays lineup against #Braves lefty Perez, with Nick Madrigal making his Tampa Bay debut and Ryan Vilade at 1B. pic.twitter.com/pWZR1eGaBV— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) September 10, 2026As Tampa Bay goes for the sweep against the Braves, they will have a different look to their lineup. Firstly, Nick Madrigal will be making his debut for the team against the left-handed Martin Perez. Due to the injury to Taylor Walls, Madrigal should be seeing a bulk of the work against left-handed pitchers, and he will have an opportunity to prove what he could do for the Rays moving forward. Furthermore, with it being a lefty on the mound, Jonathan Aranda is getting a day off, at least to start the game. Ryan Vilade will be getting the start at first base, with this lineup being loaded up with right-handed hitters to combat the southpaw. With two wins to start the series, the Rays would love to be able to pull off a sweep of the Braves. Atlanta is currently leading in the National League East, and this series has already been a statement one for Tampa Bay. Heading into Thursday, they have an 87-58 record, meaning a win would push them to 30 games over the .500 mark. That is an extremely impressive feat, and the Rays are moving toward 100 wins on the season. Furthermore, with the magic number sitting at two right now for Tampa Bay, the team will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth on Friday, potentially with a win over the Houston Astros. Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow