Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction & MLB Odds For Friday, September 20th
First pitch for Friday’s Blue Jays vs. Rays matchup is set for 6:50 PM ET from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. Toronto is 73-80, while the Rays are 75-78, and they are 4th and 5th in the AL East, respectively.
The money line odds have the Blue Jays at -105 compared to the Rays at -114, and the over/under line is sitting at 7.5 runs. Tyler Alexander is starting for the Rays, and the Blue Jays are going with Jose Berrios. This game can be seen on SNET.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Blue Jays -1.5 (+159) | Rays 1.5 (-198)
- Total: 7.5
- MoneyLine: Blue Jays -105 | Rays -114
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Blue Jays vs. Rays Prediction: Moneyline
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having a monster season for the Blue Jays, and he was at it again in Toronto’s 4-0 win over the Rangers to close out their series. Guerrero went 3/4 with two homers and two RBIs. The Blue Jays really broke things open with a three-run 2nd inning. Kevin Gausman started for the Blue Jays, going five innings, and didn’t give up a run.
Toronto’s bullpen closed things out, picking up the final three innings. They also didn’t give up a run, and the Blue Jays were the +115 underdog on the road going into this game.
The Blue Jays are two games below .500 at 73-80 as they are 5th in the AL East, two games behind the Rays for 4th place. Overall, they trail the Yankees by 16 games in the AL East. Toronto’s AL East record is 20-26 heading into today’s game, and they are looking to gain a game on the Rays today while on the road.
At home, the Blue Jays are 38-37 this season, and they are just below .500 at 35-43 on the road. Toronto will be looking to pick up a win today, as they lost the final two games of their series vs. the Rangers. So far this year, they are 44-28 as the favorite and 29-52 as the underdog. They have an overall series record of 17-26-5 this season.
The Rays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Red Sox, closing out their series with a 2-0 win. After scoring a run in the 3rd inning, the Rays added another run in the 7th to pick up the 2-0 win. Tampa Bay was the slight underdog at -104 going into the game.
Zack Littell put together a good start for the Rays, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out seven Red Sox batters. Tampa Bay’s bullpen closed things out with Garrett Cleavinger picking up the save.
Tampa Bay is 75-78 overall and trails the Yankees by 14 games in the AL East. Currently, they are 4th in the division, just a game behind the Red Sox for the 3rd spot in the division. The Rays are 21-25 against other AL East teams this year.
The Rays are 39-39 at home this year and 36-39 on the road. They have won two straight games as the underdog and are 40-47 as the underdog overall. As for how they have fared as the favorite, they are 35-31 this year. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is 23-19-6.
Blue Jays vs. Rays Prediction: Over/Under
The Blue Jays are on the road facing the Rays, and the over/under line for the game is set at 7.5 runs. Toronto’s games have averaged a combined 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 78-71. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 18-16. Overall, 74.5% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs, and they have gone under in their last two games.
So far this season, the Blue Jays offense has been just 19th in the league in runs per game, averaging 4.2 runs per contest. This is also the 19th ranked home scoring offense in the league. As a team, the Blue Jays are batting .242, which is 13th in the league, and they are 6th in the league in terms of fewest strikeouts per game. Toronto’s team on-base percentage is 9th in the league, and they are also 14th in slugging and OPS.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been the Blue Jays’ top power threat this season, as his 30 home runs are the best mark on the team and 11th in the league. He is also 11th in the league with 99 RBIs. Guerrero Jr. comes into the game with a batting average of .322. George Springer is on a three-game hitting streak but is batting just .223 for the season.
The Rays have seen a lot of high-scoring games this season, with their games averaging 8.0 runs per game. They have gone over the total in 66 of their 145 games this season, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the over/under line has been set at 7.5 runs, the Rays have gone over the total in 23 of 51 games, including their last two games.
So far this season, the Rays offense has been one of the worst in the league, as they are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is 29th in the MLB. This is also the 24th ranked home run hitting team in the league and are batting just .231 as a team. Tampa Bay does have three hitters with at least 19 home runs, but their top power hitter, Christopher Morel, has a batting average of just .196.
Yandy Diaz has been the Rays most consistent hitter this season, batting .283 with 14 homers and 65 RBIs. Brandon Lowe has 19 homers this season but is batting just .244. Lowe has gone 7/29 in his last seven games with two homers and four RBIs. He is also currently on a four-game hitting streak.
Blue Jays vs. Rays Prediction: Spread
The Blue Jays have been a solid bet on the run line this season, posting a 77-76 record, including a 49-29 mark on the road. They have been a better bet as the underdog, going 45-36, compared to 32-40 as the favorite. Their average run margin is -0.3 runs per game, but they have been outscored by just 0.1 runs per game on the road.
José Berríos has been pitching well for the Blue Jays, as he has won his last four starts. Most recently, he faced the Cardinals on September 14th and picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run. Looking at his overall numbers, Berríos has made 30 starts and has a record of 16-9. His ERA for the season is 3.44, along with a WHIP of 1.12. Berríos has one complete game and 20 quality starts this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.02 strikeouts and 2.45 walks. For the season, Berríos has allowed 29 homers. At home, his ERA is 2.94 compared to 4.88 on the road.
Despite their overall run line record being below .500, the Rays have been a good bet on the run line on the road this season, where they are 43-32. They have been a good bet as an underdog, going 55-32 on the run line, while they are just 24-42 on the run line as the favorite.
Tyler Alexander is getting the start for the Rays today and has made 21 appearances this season. He has a record of 6-5 and an ERA of 5.58. Looking at his overall numbers, Alexander has a WHIP of 1.29 and has only turned in one quality start this year. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.14 strikeouts and just 2.11 walks. In his last outing, Alexander took the loss, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work out of the bullpen. Before that, he had won two straight appearances.
Blue Jays vs. Rays Pick: Rays ML -114
Our prediction for today’s Blue Jays vs. Rays matchup is to take the Rays on the money line, with the payout being -114. We actually have the Rays winning this one 5-4, meaning you could also look to take the over, as the line is currently sitting at 7.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have José Berríos finishing with five strikeouts, which is 19th among starters. As for Tyler Alexander, we have him finishing with five K’s, which is 20th.
