Chris Archer (2-2, 1.07 ERA) and the Tampa Bay Rays (10-8) meet Mark Buehrle (3-0, 4.00 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (9-9) in the last of a three-game division series at Tropicana Field. The Rays won the last game 4-2 and Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 1:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 26 and will air on RSN and SunSports.
Archer is 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA, 59 strikeouts and 19 walks against the Blue Jays in his career. Tim Beckham (.275, 7 Rs, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 4 yesterday with two RBIs. In his career against the Rays, Buehrle is 11-5 with a 4.06 ERA. He gets a struggling Tampa Bay offense that’s batting just .239. Devon Travis (.383, 13 Rs, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs, 1 SB) has been hitting the ball well for the Blue Jays, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run.
Tampa Bay is a -127 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at seven runs. When playing as the favorite, the Rays have a 3-4 record and overall money line at +144. They have an SU record of 7-7 against teams in their division and a 3-4 record when they were the favorite in those games. Tampa Bay has averaged 3.8 runs per game during divisional play, lower than its season average of 4.2. The Rays typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an impressive 3.8 walks per game. Transitioning to the pitching staff, they have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out at Tropicana Field, averaging 8.7 strikeouts per home game.
On the other side, the Blue Jays have a record of 4-3 when they are the underdog and are -85 overall with the money line. Against divisional rivals, they are 8-6 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 4-3 record. They sport the top-ranked offense in the AL, averaging 5.7 runs per game. The Blue Jays are known for their bats, hitting 62 extra base hits.
The Rays have gotten the best of the Blue Jays in head-to-head matchups this season, going 5-1. Taking the hill against the Blue Jays will be the right-hander Archer. They sport a 7-7 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TB, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Toronto is 5-2, while Tampa Bay is 4-4.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing one walk during their last outing. The Blue Jays have a 1-4 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
It looks like the Rays have a slight leg up on the Blue Jays, as the Rays have won their last four games while the Blue Jays have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Blue Jays are 8-1. The Rays have a 9-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking first in runs, Toronto has earned 99 this season. Tampa Bay ranks 11th with 76 runs.
Ranking eighth, Toronto is in the top 10 of the league in walks, notching 59 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the top five at third with 68.
When the Rays hit at least one home run, they are 6-6. When the Blue Jays hit at least one homer, they have an 8-3 record.
