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The Toronto Blue Jays (1-1) and Tampa Bay Rays (1-1) play the 3rd contest of a 4-game set Saturday at Tropicana Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Blue Jays vs. Rays odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Tied 1-1
The Blue Jays opened with an 8-2 victory Thursday behind RHP Jose Berrios, while the Rays returned the favor Friday night with an 8-2 win of their own behind RHP Aaron Civale.
This was an evenly matched series last season, with the Rays holding a 4-3 edge at home against the Blue Jays under the roof of Tropicana Field. The Over has cashed in each of the 1st 2 games, and the total has gone high in 13 straight games while cashing in 10 in a row at Tropicana Field.
The favorite cashed in Friday’s game, and that’s a rarity. The underdog has cashed in 6 of the past 8 meetings.
Blue Jays at Rays projected starters
LHP Yusei Kikuchi vs. RHP Zack Littell
Kikuchi (11-6, 3.86 ERA) made 32 starts in 2023. He posted a 1.27 WHIP, 2.6 BB/9 and 9.7 K/9 in 167 2/3 innings.
- 2023 road splits: 5-3, 3.77 ERA (88 1/3 IP, 37 ER — 13 HR), 21 BB, 94 K in 17 starts
- Last start vs. Rays: Win, 5 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 K in 11-4 home victory Sept. 29, 2023
- 2023 vs. Tampa Bay: 2-1, 5.40 ERA, 20 IP, 12 ER (4 HR), 5 BB, 25 K in 4 starts
Littell (3-6, 4.10 ERA) made 14 starts and 14 relief appearances in 2023. He posted a 1.18 WHIP, 1.2 BB/9 and 7.4 K/9 in 90 innings.
- 2023 home splits: 1-2, 4.29 ERA (42 IP, 20 ER — 8 HR), 4 BB, 35 K in 6 starts and 6 relief appearances
- Last start vs. Blue Jays: No-decision, 5 2/3 IP, 2 R (0 ER), 5 H, 1 BB, 6 K in 7-6 home win Sept. 23, 2023
- 2023 vs. Toronto: 0-0, 7 1/3 IP, 5 ER, 11 H, 3 BB, 7 K in 1 start and 2 relief appearances
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Blue Jays at Rays odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:05 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Blue Jays +100 (bet $100 to win $100) | Rays -120 (bet $120 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Blue Jays +1.5 (-210) | Rays -1.5 (+155)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Blue Jays at Rays picks and predictions
Prediction
Blue Jays 7, Rays 3
Moneyline
The BLUE JAYS (+100) are a decent play as short ‘dogs behind the veteran southpaw Kikuchi.
The underdog has cashed in 6 of the past 8 meetings in this series, but it’s not all about the trends. Littell isn’t likely to go deep into the night, and the bullpen has been a little shaky to start the season.
Run line/Against the spread
The Blue Jays +1.5 (-210) will set you back more than twice your potential return, and that’s quite a bit too expensive. If you like Toronto, just play it straight up instead.
PASS.
Over/Under
OVER 8.5 (-105) is the play, as we have seen the total go high in each game so far with 10 runs in each outing.
In fact, the Over has cashed in 13 consecutive meetings in this series while cashing in 10 in a row at Tropicana Field. Until that trend is smashed, keep rolling with the Over. It’s worked in both games so far this season.
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