The Toronto Blue Jays can secure the franchise's first post-season spot in 22 years on Friday night as they open a home series against the Tampa Bay Rays (7:07 p.m. ET).

The Blue Jays haven't played in the post-season since winning the second of back-to-back World Series titles in 1993.

Toronto (87-65) is nine games up on the Los Angeles Angels and the Minnesota Twins (both 78-74), who are the closest teams that don't currently occupy a wild-card spot (those belong to the Yankees and Houston for now).

If the Blue Jays win Friday night and both the Angels and Twins lose, that will mean they trail Toronto by 10 games with nine to play.

Of course, the Jays have a bigger prize in mind — winning the American League East, which they lead by three games over the Yankees. The division champion gets to play in a best-of-five series (and will likely have home-field advantage) while the two wild card teams must face each other in a one-game playoff for the right to move on to a best-of-five against the AL's top division winner.

Toronto's "magic number" for clinching the AL East is eight, meaning any combination of Blue Jays wins and Yankees losses totaling that number will clinch the division for Toronto.

The Rays are standing in the way of that goal as the Jays face them six times in the final 10 contests of the regular season.

AL MVP front-runner Josh Donaldson, who leads the majors with 120 RBIs, looks to help turn around his team's fortunes against Tampa Bay. The Rays come in off taking three of four at Boston and own eight victories in 13 games against Toronto in 2015 after winning the season series six of the previous seven years.

Tampa Bay's Evan Longoria is 11-for-25 during a six-game hitting streak and is batting .349 against the Blue Jays this season.

Pitching matchup

Rays RH Jake Odorizzi (8-8, 3.38 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH R.A. Dickey (10-11, 4.05)

Odorizzi allowed four runs and eight hits across 5 2/3 innings without factoring into the decision against Baltimore last time out after winning his previous two starts. The 25-year-old has had more problems with command than usual of late with 10 walks in his past five outings after issuing 31 in his first 21 turns. Jose Bautista is 0-for-11 against Odorizzi, who is 2-1 (1-1 in 2015) with a 3.45 ERA in five career starts versus Toronto.

Dickey is winless in his last three starts, but allowed two or fewer runs in two of them after going 7-0 in the previous 10 starts. John Jaso is 3-for-7 and Asdrubal Cabrera 6-for-16 with two homers versus the 40-year-old knuckleballer, who is 0-3 with a 4.94 ERA in four starts against the Rays this season. Dickey has been outstanding at home this season, posting an 8-3 record with a 3.15 ERA and a .199 batting average against.

Walk-offs

1. Tampa Bay INF Tim Beckham is 10-for-26 with a pair of homers and seven RBIs in nine games against the Blue Jays in 2015.

2. Bautista has five hits, four of them homers, in 33 official at-bats against the Rays this season.

3. The Rays are 38-37 on the road this season, 4-3 at Toronto, and stand only 37-41 at home.