Erasmo Ramirez (11-6, 3.65 ERA) and Mark Buehrle (14-7, 3.76 ERA) are on the hill in the first of a three-game series between the Tampa Bay Rays (78-81) and the Toronto Blue Jays (92-67) at Tropicana Field. Action begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 2 and can be seen on SUN and RSN.
Ramirez pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering two runs and striking out six in a 4-2 win over the Red Sox. Steven Souza Jr. (.227, 56 Rs, 16 HRs, 40 RBIs, 12 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run. Buehrle went 6.0 innings, surrendering four runs, striking out five and walking one in a 5-4 defeat to the Rays in his last outing. Josh Donaldson (.300, 122 Rs, 41 HRs, 123 RBIs, 6 SBs) has been successful at the plate for the Blue Jays, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
The odds for Tampa Bay and Toronto are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. Within its division, Tampa Bay has a record of 34-39 SU. The Rays have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 5.1 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 3.9 runs per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, opponents have consistently been struck out by the Rays, who lead the AL in strikeouts per home game with 8.9.
The Blue Jays are 41-32 against AL East foes. Offensively, they average five runs per game on the road, which is the best in the AL. The Blue Jays can change the game with one swing of the bat, leading the league with 227 home runs. Toronto is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 3.5 per game. Toronto’s pitching staff is one of the top in the AL, with a 3.79 ERA. When it comes to preventing batters from getting hits, the Blue Jays are fourth in the AL with an average of 8.4 hits allowed per game.
The Rays have a 29-22 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Buehrle takes the mound. Ramirez (RHP) will be on the hill against the Blue Jays, who have a 72-53 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
Tampa Bay recorded at least two errors for the 20th time this season.
The Rays are coming off of a hot pitching game where they recorded nine strikeouts. The Blue Jays have a record of 23-24 when they are struck out that many times or more.
It looks like the Rays have a slight leg up on the Blue Jays, as the Rays have won their last three games while the Blue Jays have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rays are 56-25. The Blue Jays have a 75-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Toronto tops the league in runs with 877 this season. Tampa Bay ranks near the bottom at 26th with 624.
Toronto tops the league in walks with 561 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the bottom half at 20th with 432.
The Rays are 60-45 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Blue Jays are 82-36 when they hit at least one homer.
