The Toronto Blue Jays will be facing off against their divisional rival Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. The matchup will get underway at 1:10 p.m. ET and fans hoping to watch it can tune in to Fox Sports Sun.
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays Odds
Tampa Bay (-140) is the favorite over Toronto (+130) and oddsmakers have put the Over/Under for this afternoon game at 8 runs (+110 for the over and -130 for the under). Bettors can also wager on the game’s runline with the most recent odds standing at -170 for the Blue Jays +1.5 runs and +150 for the Rays -1.5.
The Blue Jays have gone 18-16 SU this year and are 18-15 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 1.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline in this young season and 2.9 units ATS. Toronto has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone over in four of those seven. The Rays, on the other hand, are 15-16 SU and 17-13 ATS. They’ve lost 1.6 units for bettors taking the moneyline while gaining 4.5 units ATS. Tampa Bay has covered the spread four times in its last seven games and the total has gone under in five of those seven.
Tampa Bay games have a 17-12-1 over/under record so far in 2018. The Blue Jays have an over/under record of 16-13-4.
Right-hander Marco Estrada is projected to start for the visiting Blue Jays. Estrada is 2-2 with a 6.19 ERA and 26 strikeouts. He has yet to face Tampa Bay this year, but he made four starts against the Rays in 2017, compiling a 0-4 record against them with a 10.61 ERA and 17 strikeouts.
The Rays are sending righty Chris Archer (2-2, 6.05 ERA) to the mound. Archer has 42 strikeouts and 12 walks to his credit, as well as a WHIP of 1.53. Archer made five starts against the Blue Jays in 2017, compiling a 1-0 record with a 2.65 ERA and 44 strikeouts.
Tampa Bay’s pitchers have yielded 4.6 runs per game overall this year as a unit. The team’s starters have a 4.10 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 8.6 strikeouts per nine innings. The bullpen has a 4.58 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 8.7 K/9. In 16 games against divisional foes, Rays starters have an ERA of 5.35 and the bullpen’s ERA is 4.16.
The Tampa Bay offense is putting up 4.5 runs per outing, including 4.6 per game against divisional foes and 3.4 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .218/.303/.315 over its last five games and is 3-2 SU during that span.
Second baseman Daniel Robertson and left fielder Mallex Smith have led the Rays’ offense this year. Robertson is hitting .297/.447/.500 with 22 hits, eight RBIs and 14 runs scored, while Smith’s line is .337/.410/.427 with 30 hits, five RBIs, 11 runs and seven stolen bases.
Compared to his total season slash line of .270/.329/.355, Smith appeared to enjoy facing righty pitching at home last year, hitting .305/.393/.429 across 122 plate appearances.
For the visiting squad, Toronto’s pitching staff allowed 4.8 runs per game and its starting pitchers own a 5.57 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 8.50 K/9. The bullpen has logged a solid ERA of just 3.06, along with a WHIP of 1.46 and a K-per-9 of 9.03.
The Blue Jays offense has slashed .234/.320/.431 on its way to 5.2 runs scored per game in 2018, including 3.5 runs per game against divisional foes and 4.4 per game over the team’s last five outings (1-4 SU).
Outfielder Kevin Pillar and third baseman Yangervis Solarte have led Toronto’s offense. Pillar is hitting .310/.359/.535 with four home runs, 16 RBIs, 22 runs and six stolen bases, while Solarte (.268/.350/.537) is up to nine homers, 22 RBIs and 21 runs scored.
The Blue Jays have gained 2.7 units and are 10-11 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has cashed in 10 of those games, compared to nine that’ve hit the under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Rays have lost 3.0 units and are 8-10 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher. The over’s hit in 11 of those games, as opposed to seven which went under the total.
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays Free MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Rays, ATS Winner – Blue Jays, O/U – OVER
Click Here to Start to Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Trends
The Blue Jays have lost four of their last five games SU.
Tampa Bay has posted 25.5 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 17.8 over its last five.
The Blue Jays have hit 19 home runs in their last 10 games. The Rays have hit 15 over their last 10.
+++++
