In the third of a four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (4-4) and the Tampa Bay Rays (4-4) at the Rogers Centre, Mark Buehrle (1-0, 3.00 ERA) and Erasmo Ramirez (0-0, 31.50 ERA) get the ball. The Rays won the last game 3-2 and Tampa Bay leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 7:07 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Apr. 15 and will air on SunSports and RSN.
Buehrle is 10-5 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.30 WHIP against the Rays in his career. Kevin Pillar (.290 ) continued his strong start to the season yesterday, going 2 for 4 with one RBI. In his career against the Blue Jays, Ramirez is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and seven strikeouts. Kevin Kiermaier (.346 ) went 1 for 2 yesterday.
Toronto is a -155 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Blue Jays are 1-2 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -49. The Blue Jays are fifth in the AL in hits allowed with just 7.1 per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Rays come into this game with a win percentage of .667 when playing as the underdog (4-2) and an overall money line of +250. Against teams in their division, they are 3-2 SU and have played well as the underdog with a 2-1 record. The Rays seem to play worse against their division opponents. In divisional matchups, Tampa Bay has averaged 2.8 runs per game, compared to 4.1 for the duration of the season. The Rays have racked up 10 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league. The Rays are one of the top AL pitching staffs on the road, essentially shutting down opponents to the tune of three runs allowed per away game. They also allow just 6.2 hits per game, good for tops in the AL.
So far this season, the Rays are 2-0 against the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays will take on a right-hander (Ramirez) in this game and have a 3-4 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
Toronto is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay.
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay.
Toronto is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing at home against Tampa Bay.
The Blue Jays are an even 4-4 against the division, while the Rays sit at 3-2.
When leading after 7 innings, Toronto is 1-0, while Tampa Bay is 1-2.
The Blue Jays managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Rays who are coming in with a 3-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
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 4-1. The Rays have a 4-0 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 14th, Tampa Bay sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 33 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at fifth with 41.
Ranking 14th, Toronto is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 23 this season. Tampa Bay ranks in the top five at second with 38.
When the Blue Jays hit at least one home run, they are 3-0. When the Rays hit at least one homer, they have a 3-3 record.
