The Rays make the trip to Toronto to face the Blue Jays! These two teams are playing very similarly with both teams struggling to find consistency. The Rays are playing better currently and are red-hot heading into this matchup when compared to the Blue Jays. Our MLB odds series has our Rays-Blue Jays prediction, odds, and pick for Thursday.
Rays-Blue Jays Projected Starters
Taj Bradley vs. Chris Bassitt
Taj Bradley (5-4) with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched seven innings and gave up zero runs on one hit with two walks and five strikeouts in a Rays win.
2024 Road Splits: (2-1) 4.61 ERA
Chris Bassitt (8-8) with a 3.71 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP
Last Start: Pitched 6.2 innings and gave up five runs on seven hits with one walk and six strikeouts in a Blue Jays loss.
2024 Home Splits: (5-5) 4.14 ERA
Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Rays-Blue Jays Odds
Tampa Bay Rays: -1.5 (+150)
Moneyline: -108
Toronto Blue Jays: +1.5 (-182)
Moneyline: -108
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under: 7.5 (-104)
How to Watch Rays vs. Blue Jays
Time: 3:07 pm ET
TV: Bally Sports Sun
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why The Rays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Rays have been inconsistent this season, and currently sit with a 51-51 record. They have won three out of their last four games, including the first game in this series. The Rays are below average on offense and in pitching as well. This play on both sides of the ball is why they have struggled to find consistency as a team. Isaac Paredes, Amed Rosario, Yandy Diaz, Harold Ramirez, Jose Caballero, and Randy Arozarena have been solid for the Rays offense. On the mound, Zach Eflin, Ryan Pepiot, and Taj Bradley have been bright spots for a unit that has struggled in their own right this season.
The Rays are starting Taj Bradley on the mound where he has a 5-4 record, a 2.63 ERA, and a 1.05 WHIP. He has allowed 25 runs on 53 hits with 26 walks and 90 strikeouts through 75.1 innings. The Rays are also 8-5 in the 13 games he has started, so far this season. Bradley has been playing solid baseball this season for the Rays and has been a bright spot. He has a favorable matchup against a Blue Jays offense that has struggled all year.
The offense for the Rays has struggled behind the plate. They are 24th in team-batting average at .234 after finishing with a .260 last season. Isaac Paredes and Yandy Diaz lead the way in most batting categories. Paredes leads in home runs at 16, in RBI at 51, and in OBP at .352. Diaz leads in batting average at .273 and in total hits at 104. This is an interesting matchup against Chris Bassitt on the mound because he has been solid for the Blue Jays, but also has had his fair share of inconsistent play, just like the Tampa Bay offense.
Why The Blue Jays Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Blue Jays have been inconsistent and struggled this season toward a 46-55 record. They have lost three out of their last four games leading into this matchup, including the first game in this series. The team has struggled behind the plate with their bats and then their pitching has also struggled, with both being in the bottom half of the MLB this season. Daulton Varsho, Justin Turner, Bo Bichette, George Springer, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have stood out behind the plate. Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi have been their best pitchers up to this point in the season. Toronto has talent, but they have not found any consistency up to this point in the season and don't have much hope heading into the second half.
The Blue Jays are starting Chris Bassitt on the mound and he has an 8-8 record, a 3.71 ERA, and a 1.42 WHIP. Through 114 innings, he has allowed 51 runs on 116 hits with 46 walks, and 106 strikeouts. The Blue Jays are 8-12 in the 20 starts he had this season. Bassitt has been solid as the ace in the Toronto pitching lineup but needs to find more consistent play overall. He gets a favorable matchup against the Rays due to their offense struggling most of this season.
The offense for the Blue Jays has struggled towards a .236 which is 22nd in the league, after finishing last season with a .256 batting average. Vladimir Guerrero Jr leads the team in almost every important batting category. Guerrero Jr. leads the way in batting average at .293, in home runs at 17, in RBI at 60, in OBP at .362, and in total hits at 113. This offense has struggled, and this matchup against Taj Bradley will be difficult.
Final Rays-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
The Rays are the better team than the Blue Jays. Bradley is the better pitcher than Bassitt this season, but it is close. The difference behind the plate is marginal at best. This should be a pitching duel between the two starters. When that happens, expect the Blue Jays to keep things close and cover and potentially win against the Rays at home.
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Final Rays-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Blue Jays +1.5 (-182)
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