An AL East battle is scheduled to take place on Saturday as the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays go head-to-head in game two of a doubleheader at the Rogers Centre. It is about that time to take an exclusive look at our MLB odds series, where our Rays-Blue Jays prediction and pick will take place.

 

Now losers of four straight games, the Rays will be eager to get back on track after stranding eleven runners on base yesterday while also going 0-7 with runners in scoring position. In what has been a common theme, Tamp Bay will look to wake up the bats and silence Toronto by sending out right-handed twirler Drew Rasmussen who currently sports a 5-3 record with a 3.41 ERA.

At 44-33, the Blue Jays extended their lead on the Rays during the 9-2 win by 3.5 games, and are firmly in control of the top AL Wild Card playoff spot if the season ended today. Coming out victorious in four of their past five games, the Blue Jays will attempt to continue their stellar play with Thomas Hatch making his first start of the 2022 season. Hatch was 4-4 with a 5.12 ERA at the Triple-A level in Buffalo.

Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Rays-Blue Jays MLB odds.

MLB Odds: Rays-Blue Jays Odds

Tampa Bay Rays: +1.5 (-170)

Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+140)

Over: 9.5 (-106)

Under: 9.5 (-114)

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Why The Rays Could Cover the Spread

At 40-36, the Rays have not played all that well over the course of the past month, and its record is starting to reflect that. It had seemed like Tampa Bay was starting to gel and figure things out by reeling off a trio of consecutive wins but have since backtracked by losing their next four matchups after that.

A possible reason for the Rays' inconsistency has been their unstable effort at the plate. A year ago, Tampa Bay had a young and promising lineup that could score runs easily when needed. Fast forward to 2022, and the Rays have the fourth-fewest runs generated in baseball and are in the bottom ten of almost every hitting statistical category.

This inability to produce was at the forefront on Friday as whenever runners were on-base, Rays' hitters failed to bring them home. With a below-average .297 on-base percentage in 2022, the Rays must figure out their bats fast before it's too late.

In order to cover the spread on the road in Toronto, Tampa Bay's pitching arms will need to be as sharp as a razor. With the fourth-best ERA in the majors at 3.32, Tampa Bay can certainly twirl it with the best of them. Rasmussen, who is returning from the injured list after straining his hamstring, is 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA in three career starts versus Toronto and may be the biggest difference-maker for the Rays on Saturday.

Why The Blue Jays Could Cover the Spread

Ready or not, here come the Blue Jays! Capitalizing off some shaky play from the rest of the division, the Blue Jays have firmly put themselves in the second-place spot in an ultra-competitive American League East. Not to mention, but Toronto is playing some of their best ball of the season and is beginning to live up to the preseason hype that was placed upon their shoulders.

Entering 2022, all eyes were on Toronto's young and talented pieces that can swing the bats like nobody's business. During the third inning of yesterday's matchup between these two division rivals, Toronto punished a usually impressive Rays staff for five runs that ultimately put the game out of reach for the Rays. The Blue Jays have been no strangers to putting up crooked numbers, as Toronto has scored at least five runs in 10 of their previous 11 ball games. With the second-best on-base and slugging percentage in the league, the offense has no doubt been the name of the game up north.

The Blue Jays' pitching staff has held their own and has often been able to receive productive outings from their starters. In fact, there have been 35 times that Blue Jays' starting pitchers have thrown at least five innings, which is the fourth-most quality starts in all of baseball. With how efficient the Rays have been with hurling the baseball, Toronto's pitching may be an X-factor if Tampa Bay ends up limiting the Jays' scoring opportunities. Another intriguing name to watch for will be expected starter, Thomas Hatch. The 27-year-old from Tulsa, Oklahoma is only in his second season, but he is 2-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA in four career games all against Tampa Bay which all came back in 2020.

Final Rays-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick

After an embarrassing showing from the Rays in game one of this series, this second game of the doubleheader on Saturday will surely test the stamina of both sides. If Tampa Bay can assert any production at the plate, then their pitching staff and bullpen should be able to make this a game.

Final Rays-Blue Jays Pick: Rays +1.5 (-170)