Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA
Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays: An AL East battle
The Tampa Bay Rays are visiting the division rival Toronto Blue Jays tonight at Rogers Center to close out the three-game series.
The Rays are at .500
The Tampa Bay Rays are fourth in the AL East with a 51-51 record and 24-24 on the road. They have split the six games following the All-Star break. Tampa Bay has a 4.22 ERA, a .244 batting average, a .309 on-base percentage, and 1.26 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Yandy Diaz leads the team with 104 hits, Randy Arozarena is on top with 45 runs, and Isaac Paredes has 16 home runs.
The Blue Jays have split the last ten games
The Toronto Blue Jays are at the bottom of the AL East with a 46-55 record, including 23-27 at home. They are coming off a 6-3 win over the Rays, their only second win after the All-Star break. The Blue Jays have a 4.46 ERA, a .247 batting average, a .317 on-base percentage, and 1.31 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the team with 115 hits, 52 runs and 18 home runs.
Betting Trends
The Blue Jays are 2-5 SU in their last 7 home games against Tampa Bay and 4-1 SU in their last 5 games played on Thursday. Toronto has played over the total run line in 9 of their last 10 games overall, in 6 of their last 7 games against teams from the AL, in 16 of their last 20 games against Tampa Bay and in 4 of their last 5 home games. The Rays are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games on the road in Toronto and 6-14 SU in their last 20 games against teams from the AL East. Tampa Bay has played over the total run line in 4 of their last 5 games overall, in 5 of their last 7 visits to Toronto and in 4 of their last 6 games against teams from the AL.
Prediction and Conclusion
The Rays and the Blue Jays are ending their three-game series tonight in Toronto. The visitors won the first one by 4-2, and then the Blue Jays responded with a 6-3 win. Both teams are at the bottom of the AL East with slim chances to save the season. The Rays will start second-year pitcher Taj Bradley, who is 5-4 for the season with a 2.63 ERA, 90 K, 75.1 IP, and 1.05 WHIP. The Blue Jays will go with veteran Chris Bassitt, who is 8-8 for the season with a 3.71 ERA, 106 K, 114 IP, and 1.42 WHIP. This game can easily go either way, but given the fact that the Blue Jays have gone over in nine of their last 10 games and the Rays have done so in four of their last five, we go with over 7.5 runs tonight.
