The Tampa Bay Rays will be getting set for their season finale against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sunday, hoping to avoid what would feel like a really bad sweep of the series. 

Coming into the season, the Rays had some high hopes that they would be able to be a contender in the American League East. On paper, there are some nice things about the team and reason to believe that if some things went right, they could contend. 

Unfortunately, things have yet to go right for Tampa Bay in their first two games. Despite having leads in both games to start the year, the Rays lost both of them. The bullpen has been unable to hold leads both large and small so far, and that is a reason to be concerned. 

Now, they will be facing on Sunday with the hopes of avoiding a sweep at the hands of a team that wasn’t expected to be very good. Here’s how to watch the matchup. 

Who: Tampa Bay Rays vs. St. Louis Cardinals When: Sunday, March 29th, 2:15 ESTWhere: Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MissouriHow to Watch: MLBTV, Cardinals.TV, Rays.TV

#Rays lineup vs. #StLCards, RH May: pic.twitter.com/gPXtMLLGAE

— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 29, 2026

On Sunday, it will be southpaw Steven Matz taking the hill for Tampa Bay. The left-hander was one of the top additions this winter for the Rays and will be back in the starting rotation after spending time in the bullpen last season. 

While the transition back to being a starter can be tricky, the results for Matz were really strong this spring. Tampa Bay clearly believes that he can be a key part of the rotation in 2026, and he will be making his debut on Sunday. 

The Rays will be hoping for a good start from Matz, but all eyes will be on the bullpen in this one. In the season-opener, they blew a massive lead in the sixth inning, allowing eight runs in the frame. Furthermore, that was followed up by closer Griffin Jax blowing a lead in the bottom of the 10th inning on Saturday. 

Despite their record being 0-2, Tampa Bay could easily be undefeated right now and going for a sweep of their own. While the struggles of the bullpen are a bit worrisome, their lineup has done well so far, and that is an encouraging sign. Hopefully, the Rays will get a good start from Matz on Sunday, and the bullpen will be able to finish a game off behind him so the team can avoid being swept.Â