Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) vs Toronto Blue Jays (1-0)
March 30, 2024 at 04:10 PM EDT
The Line: Betting Odds: Tampa Bay Rays -143 / Toronto Blue Jays +121 — Over/Under: 8.5
The Tampa Bay Rays and the Toronto Blue Jays will meet for game three of their divisional series this Saturday from Tropicana Field on MLBN. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction.
Toronto Blue Jays Preview
Toronto enters at 1-1 after falling to Tampa on Friday, 8-2. The Blue Jays were unable to hold off the Jays last night, and they’ll attempt to regroup here in game three. Toronto is batting .219, while scoring 5.0 runs per game, with a team ERA of 5.00. The Blue Jays will meet the Astros after this series.
Projected Starter
Yusei Kikuchi (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will take the mound for Toronto. The sixth-year lefty put together a solid season for the Jays in 2023, posting career-bests in wins (11), ERA (3.86), and strikeouts (181). Kikuchi faced off with the Jays four times last year, and after allowing three runs or more in three of those spots, he’ll look to avoid a slow start to the 2024 campaign.
Toronto’s Player Props
- Vlad Guerrero has totaled multiple bases in consecutive games, and he’s batting .375 with a home and RBI.
- Bo Bichette (.275, 2 RBI) was hitless in game two after producing multiple runs in the first matchup with Tampa.
- George Springer has homered in each of the first two contests, and he’s hitting .250 with a pair of RBI.
Tampa Bay Rays Preview
Tampa Bay comes in at 1-1 after defeating Toronto last night, 8-2. The Rays responded to a slow season opener, and they’ll look to hop back above .500 this weekend. Tampa is batting .242, while scoring 5.0 runs per game, with a team ERA of 5.00. The Rays will face the Rangers following this series.
Projected Starter
Zack Littell (0-0, 0.00 ERA) will get the start for Tampa. The journeyman pitcher latched on with the Rays last season, and managed to find a spot in the rotation down the stretch. Littell will look to build on a solid campaign that saw him post a 3.93 RRA over 87 innings pitched.
Tampa Bay’s Player Props
- Yandy Diaz has come out hot by recording four RBI thru the first two games, and he’s batting .556.
- Brandon Lowe smashed a grand slam in the game two win over Toronto, and he’s hitting .375.
- Harold Ramirez has gone hitless thru the first two games, so he may be due for some production soon.
Toronto Blue Jays Team Facts
- The Blue Jays have trailed after 3 innings in each of their last three day games against AL East opponents.
Tampa Bay Rays Team Facts
- The ‘Inning 1 OVER 0.5 runs’ market has hit in each of the last seven day games between the Blue Jays and Rays.
Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction:
Tampa looked great in game two, and with Yusei Kikuchi set to go on the road for Toronto, I believe they may be worth testing again here. The Rays scored three runs or more in three of Kikuchi’s four starts versus the Rays last season, and if they’re bats remain hot, we should see another productive outing for the hosts. The Over will be in play for the third straight day, but let’s back Tampa for this divisional matchup.