The Tampa Bay Rays (40-35) face off against the Toronto Blue Jays (43-33) Friday afternoon at Rogers Centre in the 2nd of a 5-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 3:07 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the Rays vs. Blue Jays odds with MLB picks and predictions.
Season series: The series is tied 2-2.
The Blue Jays took down the Rays 4-1 in Thursday’s opener as the Rays could just muster a run on 5 hits. Tampa is just 8-12 in its last 20 games as they’ve fallen to 4th in the AL East.
Toronto is just 10-10 in its last 20 games, but it has been good enough to tie for 2nd in the division with the Boston Red Sox. The Blue Jays are just 19th in MLB with a 3.98 ERA, and that has to improve. RHP Yusei Kikuchi had his best start of the year Thursday, and Friday’s starter, RHP Jose Berrios needs to follow suit.
Rays at Blue Jays projected starters
RHP Corey Kluber vs. RHP Jose Berrios
Kluber (3-4, 3.45 ERA) makes his 15th start. He has a 1.08 WHIP, 1.4 BB/9 and 8.1 K/9 in 73 IP.
- Has gone 6 IP in 4 of his last 6 starts and has a 2.65 ERA in his last 7 starts
- Had a 4.59 ERA in 4 starts against Toronto last season, but he never reached 5 IP.
- Current Blue Jays are hitting .382 with a .483 weighted on-base average in 75 plate appearances
Berrios (5-4, 5.86 ERA) makes his 16th start. He has a 1.39 WHIP, 2.3 BB/9 and 7.4 K/9 in 78 1/3 IP.
- Allowed 14 ER in 6 2/3 IP in his last 2 starts
- Allowed 1 ER, 4 H, 0 BB and 4 K in 7 IP vs. Rays in 2-0 loss last September. He’s 0-3 in 5 career starts with 5.76 ERA vs. Tampa.
- His 7.4 K/9 is the worst of his career, and he leads MLB with 51 ER
Rays at Blue Jays odds and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:05 am. ET.
- Money line (ML): Rays +115 (bet $100 to win $115) | Blue Jays -140 (bet $140 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Rays +1.5 (-180) | Blue Jays -1.5 (+145)
- Over/Under (O/U): 9.5 (O: +105 | U: -130)
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Rays at Blue Jays picks and predictions
Prediction
Rays 6, Blue Jays 4
Money line
Today we have a tale of a 36-year-old pitcher that’s solid through small intervals, and a pitcher in his prime that can’t seem to miss bats. There’s a 70-percent chance of rain, which will normalize some things with a closed roof. Tampa is 26th in baseball with 4.02 runs per game so let’s scale this back a bit. The price isn’t much different, and Berrios has been awful this year. Take the RAYS FIRST 5 INNINGS (+102).
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Run line/Against the spread
I’d be more inclined to give the Rays more faith here if the roof weren’t likely to be closed with rain in the area. That will reduce temperatures, and the ball won’t fly as much as it would in an open-air hot day. PASS.
Over/Under
The Over is 5-0 in the last 5 of Berrios’ starts against teams above .500. The Under is 4-0-2 in the last 6 meetings in Toronto. The Under is 5-0-1 in the last 6 games between these teams. Berrios wasn’t pitching in them, though. Let’s go with a LEAN OVER 9.5 (+105) for plus money. If that starts to fade, though, we’ll avoid it altogether.
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