The Toronto Blue Jays will open a three-game series with the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre following a successful 4-2 road trip.
Toronto completed a three-game sweep over the Seattle Mariners, and took the final game of its three-game set with the Angels in Anaheim, to storm back to the .500 mark entering this series.
Tampa, meanwhile, is coming off a disappointing 2-4 homestand that included being swept at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies. It did, however, take two of three games from the Milwaukee Brewers over the weekend.
Let’s take a closer look at the game odds for Tuesday’s series opener between the Rays and Blue Jays courtesy of bet365.
Rays vs. Blue Jays odds
Rays moneyline odds | +110 |
Blue Jays moneyline odds | -130 |
Runline odds | Blue Jays -1.5 (+165), Rays +1.5 (-200) |
Game total | Over 8 runs (-105), Under 8 (-115) |
Date/Time | May 13, 7:07 p.m. ET |
About the Rays (18-22 SU, 18-22 ATS, 15-23-2 o/u)
Much like the Blue Jays, the Rays have struggled to put runs up on the board this season, averaging 3.8 per game to rank well into the bottom half of the league. They don’t hit a lot of home runs, bashing just 32 homers (26th in majors), and their .669 team OPS ranks 23rd in baseball.
Bettors can expect Tampa Bay to try to manufacture runs by being active on the basepaths, as it has the fourth-most stolen bases in baseball with 47 on the season. Outfielder Jose Caballero leads the team with nine steals and four players have five or more.
First baseman Jonathan Aranda is having a fine offensive season, hitting .342 with a .429 on-base percentage while also blasting five homers and recording 18 RBIs in 36 contests.
About the Blue Jays (20-20 SU, 25-15 ATS, 20-20 o/u)
Could the Blue Jays finally be breaking out of their offensive funk? They’ve put up 29 runs during their current four-game winning streak, averaging 7.25 per game, nearly double their seasonal average of 3.9 per game. The team is slashing an incredible .315/.370/.464 with seven home runs over the last seven days, with Addison Barger leading the way with a 1.278 OPS and six RBIs during that span.
Toronto is a solid 11-8 straight up and 12-7 on the runline at Rogers Centre this season, but its pitchers have struggled at the venue, recording a combined 4.63 ERA to rank well into the back of the pack in the majors in home splits. Toronto pitchers have allowed 37 home runs at Rogers Centre, the second-most homers allowed at a home venue in the majors next to the Rays (40), who are playing their home games at the Yankees’ spring training facility this season.
Probable starting pitchers
Tampa Bay: RHP Shane Baz (3-2, 4.93 ERA, 9.39 K/9)
Baz has been shelled in back-to-back starts by the Phillies and Kansas City Royals, allowing 13 earned runs on 17 hits over that span. He was very good in April, though, posting a 2.45 ERA while averaging over a strikeout per inning over five starts.
The young right-hander has an exceptional fastball that averages 96.7 mph, but his knuckle curve is his strikeout pitch. Baz made one start against Toronto last year, holding the Blue Jays to one run over six innings of work while striking out six.
Toronto: RHP Jose Berrios (1-1, 3.86 ERA, 8.68 K/9)
Berrios surrendered two runs on five hits while striking out nine the last time he took the mound against the Angels. However, he did cough up a pair of home runs in that outing, increasing his total to eight allowed through his eight starts this season.
Opponents are hitting a lofty .273 against him at Rogers Centre, where he’s posted an ugly 5.01 ERA across four starts this season. Left-handed batters are smoking him, posting a combined .276/.374/.429 slash line against the veteran righty this season.
Notable injuries
Shortstop Ha-Seong Kim (shoulder), outfielder Jake Magnum (groin), pitcher Shane McClanahan (triceps), and outfielder Josh Lowe (oblique) are on the injured list for Tampa.
Pitchers Ryan Burr (shoulder), Erik Swanson (forearm), Nick Sandlin (lat), and Max Scherzer (thumb) are all on the injured list for the Blue Jays. A few key positional players are also banged up, with Andres Gimenez (quad) also on the IL, and catcher Alejandro Kirk (head) and outfielder Anthony Santander (shoulder) listed as game-time decisions.
Weather
The retractable roof at Rogers will likely be closed as forecasts are calling for rain throughout the evening hours in Toronto.
Rays vs. Blue Jays betting trends
- The Rays are 7-3 SU in the past 10 meetings between the teams.
- The under is 4-1 in Tampa’s last five games.
- The over is 8-0 in Toronto’s last eight games.
- Toronto has the best record in baseball on the runline this season (25-15 ATS).
Rays vs. Blue Jays player prop trends
- Blue Jays third baseman Ernie Clement has hit safely in six straight games and is -215 to extend that streak. He has a pair of multi-hit games in that span.
- Barger has recorded over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs in four straight games, averaging 4.25 per game during that stretch. He’s +120 to beat that mark again on Tuesday.
- Berrios has allowed two earned runs or more in six of his eight starts this season, averaging 2.5 per game during that span. He’s -175 to record over 1.5 earned runs.
Rays vs. Blue Jays best bet
- Jonathan Aranda over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs: -110 for one unit (best odds @ Sports Interaction). Aranda is hitting a blistering .378 against right-handed pitchers this season, and he’s 4-for-8 with a pair of homers in his career against Berrios. He’s also scorching hot overall at the plate right now, hitting .481 with a home run, five RBIs and four runs scored in 27 May at-bats. Additionally, Aranda ranks in the 99th percentile in hard-hit rate (60%) and the 95th percentile in average exit velocity (94.2 mph) this season. Aranda has beaten this number in four of his last five games, six of his last eight, and at a 56% rate overall this season. That means we’re getting good value in this spot with -110 odds (52.3% implied odds), especially considering his awesome career splits against Berrios.