The Tampa Bay Rays are moving onto the American League Division Series. 

With an 8-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday that completed a two-game sweep in their Wild Card Series, Tampa returns to the ALDS for a second consecutive season. 

The Rays jumped on Jays starter Hyun-Jin Ryu early with three hits and one run in the first inning as Tyler Glasnow tossed a quality start in his 2020 postseason debut. Hunter Renfroe provided more than enough offense with a second-inning grand slam. 

After winning the AL East by seven games, the Rays will now face the winner of the Wild Card Series between the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees. 

Tampa Bay went 8-2 against the Yankees this season but did not face the Indians after the MLB schedule was adjusted because of COVID-19. 

For the Blue Jays, it's the end of a short, strange season in which the club played its home games in Buffalo, New York, because to Canada's pandemic policies. The Jays finished third in the AL East with a 32-28 record to clinch the No. 8 seed in the postseason.

Notable Performers:

Tyler Glasnow, SP, Tampa Bay Rays: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 8 K, 1 BB

Hunter Renfroe, LF, Tampa Bay Rays: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 K

Mike Zunino, C, Tampa Bay Rays: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI

Hyun-Jin Ryu, SP, Toronto Blue Jays: 1.2 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 3 K, 2 BB

Nate Pearson, RP, Toronto Blue Jays: 2 IP, 0 H, 5 K, 0 BB

Danny Jansen, C, Toronto Blue Jays: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 RBI

Bichette Error Leads to Rays Grand Slam

It would be unfair to place all of the blame for the Blue Jays' Game 2 debacle on shortstop Bo Bichette. 

Ryu wasn't sharp to begin the game and a lethal Rays offense took advantage, pelting him with four hits and one run before the veteran lefty could escape the first inning. 

However, Bichette did his pitcher no favors with an error on a ground ball from Manuel Margot that bounced off his wrist with two out and two on in the second inning. It was the second error in as many innings for the shortstop. The first allowed Renfroe to reach base with two outs in the first. The second brought Renfroe back up to the plate with a chance to do some major damage.

Ryu had already allowed a two-run homer to catcher Mike Zunino in the second at-bat of the frame, but facing a bases-loaded jam against Hunter Renfroe after Margot reached quickly became the most troubling development of the day. 

Renfroe strolled to the plate sporting a career .308/.286/.885 slash line with the bases loaded and mashed the third pitch he saw from Ryu into the left field stands to give Tampa an insurmountable 7-0 lead. It was the sixth grand slam of Renfroe's career as well as the last pitch Ryu would throw in 2020.

Ross Stripling came in for four outs of relief before handing the ball over to rookie Nate Pearson, who became one of the few bright spots for the Jays by striking out five of the six batters he faced without giving up a hit. 

Bichette, meanwhile, enters the offseason after committing two errors in two postseason innings following a 60-game season in which the 22-year-old had committed only three errors. 

The Blue Jays remain a young team with a wide-open window to contend for years to come. Wednesday also showed how much more they'll need to grow in order to realize those dreams.     

Glasnow Finally Shines in Postseason 

Glasnow rolled through the 2019 regular season as one of the most dominant arms in baseball. Just as amazingly, the owner of a 1.78 ERA in 60.2 innings pitched with 76 strikeouts on 14 walks watched his shine disappear in the playoffs. 

In two previous postseason appearances before Wednesday, the lefty acquired in the 2018 Chris Archer trade was tagged with two losses a 7.71 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP in seven innings. 

The Rays moved onto the ALDS last year in spite of his performance. 

One year later, Tampa is going back to the division series because of it. 

Glasnow dazzled in his third playoff start, going six innings with eight strikeouts, six hits and two earned runs—both by way of solo homers from Danny Jansen. 

Jansen was seemingly the only Jays batter who could figure Glasnow out. The rest couldn't keep up. 

Glasnow threw 86 pitches, with 27 going for called strikes or whiffs, per Statcast. His fastball sat at 97.1 mph with a curveball that broke into the zone at 82.5 mph. He used his changeup just twice. 

If this is what Tampa can expect from Glasnow moving forward—and it has every right to at this point—the Rays will remain the team to beat in the American League not just for the postseason, but for years to come. 

What's Next

Game 1 of the American League Division Series is set for Monday at San Diego's Petco Park. The start time has yet to be determined, but the game will be shown on TBS.