The Blue Jays look to snap a four-game losing streak as they travel to Tropicana Field in Tampa to take on their division rivals in the Rays. It is time to take a look at our MLB odds series, where our Blue Jays-Rays prediction and pick will be made.
Earlier in the week, Toronto saw themselves right in the thick of the AL East standings, but a recent wave of losing has now pushed them back 6.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place. While there are still many games to be played in 2022, right-handed hurler Kevin Gausman will look to stop the bleeding as he squares off with a potent Rays lineup.
The Rays rid themselves of their own losing streak with a victory over the Angels on Wednesday, which helped them avoid the sweep in Anaheim and instilled confidence on their way back home to Florida. Two games above the Blue Jays in the standings, the start of this series could end up being key later in the year when playoff implications are of utmost importance. Making his sixth start of the season in this thrilling matchup for Tampa Bay will be righty Drew Rasmussen and a 3-1 overall record.
Here are the Blue Jays-Rays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Rays Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+134)
Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-162)
Over: 6.5 (-122)
Under: 6.5 (+100)
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Why The Blue Jays Could Cover the Spread
After starting 15-8 and keeping pace with the Yankees throughout the start of the year, Toronto has gone on to lose seven of nine and are in the middle of a downward spiral. While it appears that the Blue Jays have experienced an up and down start to their 2022 season, it must be noted that Toronto is still capable of being a pennant contending bunch.
So far, Toronto has the 19th most runs in the league with 123, and are only 21st in on-base percentage with a .301 mark. However, the strength of this offense at the plate comes from slugging the long ball. As a team collectively, the Blue Jays have belted out 35 home runs and have a .390 slugging percentage, both numbers good for top ten marks in the MLB.
Toronto has received good production from starters and their ability to pitch deep into games with 12 quality starts, but are allowing hitters to hit .244 off them and have also recorded a below-average 3.96 ERA as a team.
Fortunately, Gausman will be responsible for starting this game out on the right foot, and he has been nearly un-hittable through his five combined starts. Gausman has achieved an extremely low ERA of 2.13, and has not given up more than two runs to begin his 2022 campaign.
Toronto has not faired well against the spread this year with a losing record of 13-19 through 32 games.
Why The Rays Could Cover the Spread
Unlike the Blue Jays, the Rays got off to a somewhat sluggish start and have recently started to find their groove within the past couple of weeks. With a ten-game road trip to the west coast officially being wrapped up on Wednesday in Los Angeles, the Rays could not have begun the voyage out west on a better note. Winners of the first six, they dropped a trio to the red-hot Angels before triumphing over them in the 10th inning after recently called up Triple-A gem Vidal Brujan came up clutch with an RBI double that ensured Tampa Bay with the victory.
Even with Gausman on the mound for Toronto, Rays hurler Rasmussen has been just as effective. Rasmussen has limited hitters to the best of his abilities and has only given up two runs in his previous three outings. There's no doubting that the 26-year-old from Spokane, Washington is finding his groove, and could possibly going up against his toughest test yet versus the Blue Jays. Last Saturday, Rasmussen dialed up five innings pitched and even struck out five Mariners bats en route to an 8-2 victory over Seattle.
The difference in this one will most likely come down to whether or not the Rays can put Gausman in jams when at the dish and take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. Rasmussen should keep Tampa Bay alive barring an unexpected shelling, so this Rays' lineup that has the ninth most runs scored in baseball will need to provide some sort of run support cushion to improve to 10-7 at home and cover the spread as well.
Tampa Bay hasn't faired a whole lot better themselves against the spread with an overall record of 15-17 through 32 matchups.
Final Blue Jays-Rays Prediction & Pick
Game one of this divisional series will mark the first time that these two rivals will be suiting up against one another this season, so expect each squad to be feeling each other out in the early frames of the ballgame. While both sides seem to struggle in covering the spread, the wise pick would to put your money on the Rays in this one, especially considering that the value at +1.5 seems to be a good bet with the Blue Jays entering play struggling out on the diamond.
Final Blue Jays-Rays Pick: Rays +1.5 (-162)
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