Chris Archer (8-4, 2.18 ERA) takes the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays (40-32) as they go up against R.A. Dickey (3-6, 4.96 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (38-34) in the second of a three-game series at Tropicana Field. The Blue Jays won the last game 8-5 and Toronto leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Jun. 23 and will air on RSN and SunSports.
Archer is 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA against the Blue Jays in his career, but is up against a solid Toronto offense that’s hitting .271 on the year. Joey Butler (.338, 18 Rs, 6 HRs, 19 RBIs, 5 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 5. In his pitching opportunities against the Rays, Dickey is 6-7 with a 4.49 ERA, 87 strikeouts and 44 walks. Chris Colabello (.347, 29 Rs, 5 HRs, 26 RBIs, 2 SBs) has been hitting the ball well for the Blue Jays, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and two RBIs.
Tampa Bay, a -160 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Toronto. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is seven runs. The Rays are 19-14 as the favorite and have an overall money line of +938. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (4-1). They have been a terror on the base paths, ranking fourth in all of baseball with 54 steals. As for the pitching staff, they have been extremely effective at striking opposing batters out at Tropicana Field, averaging 8.8 strikeouts per home game.
Switching gears, the Blue Jays come into this game with a win percentage of .412 when playing as the underdog (14-20) and an overall money line of +78. Against divisional foes, they are 18-16 SU and 9-10 as the underdog. The Blue Jays are the top-ranked scoring offense in the AL when playing on the road, averaging five runs per game so far. Toronto is one of the top home-run-hitting teams in the league with 90 home runs. Toronto has an eye for the strike zone, ranking 3.3 in the AL with second walks per game.
The Rays had the upper hand against the Blue Jays in their previous eight games this season, earning a 6-2 record. The Rays will take on a right-hander (Dickey) in this game and have a 26-23 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The right-handed Archer will take the mound against the Blue Jays, who have a 26-30 record against righty starters this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after 7 innings, Toronto is 21-13, while Tampa Bay is 14-13.
The Rays are coming into this game after allowing two walks during their last outing. The Blue Jays have a 15-11 record when opponents give up that many walks or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Blue Jays are 5-25. The Rays have a 7-21 record when opponents outhit them.
Tampa Bay ranks in the top half of the league at 14th when it comes to home runs, hitting 66 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with 90.
Ranking 11th, Tampa Bay is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 8.11 per game. Toronto ranks in the top five at third with 9.13.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Toronto has an OPS of .788 this season. Tampa Bay ranks 19th with an OPS of .698.
When the Blue Jays allow at least one home run, they are 24-24. When the Rays allow one or more homers, they have a 15-23 record.
