Our Rays vs. Blue Jays prediction for Monday night at Rogers Centre leans toward Tampa Bay to keep rolling, as the Rays arrive with wins in 14 of their last 16 games and the same starting pitching matchup that helped them beat Toronto last week.
Rays vs. Blue Jays prediction
Rays moneyline: +110
Rays moneyline
Tampa Bay was a -130 favourite against Toronto with the exact same starting pitching matchup last week and came away with a 4-3 win at Tropicana Field. So it doesn’t make any sense that the Rays are now +110 underdogs when the only difference this time around is losing home advantage with this game being played at Rogers Centre.
Add in the fact that the Rays are surging right now with wins in 14 of their 16 games, and it’s hard not to back them on this full-game side on Tuesday night at plus money.
Toronto is still ravaged with injuries up and down its roster, which will make it awfully difficult to score runs on Tampa’s formidable pitching staff.
As always, shop around for the most favourable odds at the best MLB betting sites before locking in any wagers.
Rays vs. Blue Jays odds
| Rays moneyline odds | +110 |
| Blue Jays moneyline odds | -130 |
| Run line odds | Blue Jays -1.5 (+170), Rays +1.5 (-205) |
| Game total | Over 7.5 runs (+100), Under 7.5 (-120) |
| Date/time | May 11, 7:10 p.m. ET |
Betting the Rays (26-13 SU, 24-15 ATS, 18-21 o/u)
The Rays completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays at Tropicana Field last week and then proceeded to take two of three from the Boston Red Sox over the weekend to remain the hottest team in baseball.
Tampa has won 14 of its last 16 games to jump all the way to the top spot in the American League East standings with a one-game advantage over the New York Yankees. In fact, the Rays are just one of three American League teams (the Yankees and Athletics are the others) to have a record over .500 at this point in the season, which is absolutely mind-blowing given the amount of talent on AL rosters.
The Rays are allowing 3.9 runs per game (sixth in the majors) backed by a fantastic pitching staff, which owns a 3.44 ERA (fifth in MLB) and a 1.13 WHIP (second in the majors).
Betting the Blue Jays (18-22 SU, 17-23 ATS, 20-20 o/u)
The Blue Jays rebounded from getting swept by the Rays by taking two of three from the Los Angeles Angels at Rogers Centre over the weekend.
Toronto put up a season-high 14 runs on the board Saturday in a 14-1 victory over the Halos, but the bats then stalled in a 6-1 loss in the series finale on Sunday.
Injuries have ravaged Toronto’s roster since Spring Training, and the team is still sputtering while many key players make their way towards returning to the lineup. For now, the focus will be on scratching out wins and trying to remain as close to .500 as possible until reinforcements arrive.
Probable starting pitchers
Tampa Bay: RHP Drew Rasmussen (2-1, 2.95 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 9.08 K/9)
This starting pitching matchup will be a rematch of last Tuesday’s showdown between the Rays and Blue Jays, except this time Toronto will have home-field advantage.
Rasmussen tossed six innings of three-run ball while striking out five in that matchup roughly a week ago against Toronto, but his team still manged to eke out a 4-3 victory in that contest.
The right-hander’s cutter, which he throws roughly 36% of the time, has been elite this season, holding opponents to .127 batting average (.213 xBA) with a 23% whiff rate.
Bettors shouldn’t expect Rasmussen to issue many free passes on Monday night, as he ranks in the 97th percentile in the majors this season with a 4.1% walk rate.
Toronto: RHP Kevin Gausman (2-2, 3.09 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 8.29 K/9)
Gausman threw six innings of two-run ball while striking out just three batters last week against the Rays.
He’s been fantastic for the Blue Jays this season, holding opponents to three earned runs or less in seven of his eight starts this season.
Bettors should also note that Gausman has been exceptional at Rogers Centre this season, owning a 1.88 ERA while holding opponents to a low .163 batting average through four starts.
Notable injuries
The following players are on the injured list for the Rays:
- P Joe Boyle (elbow)
- P Steven Wilson (back)
- P Steven Matz (elbow)
- P Ryan Pepiot (hip)
- P Michael Grove (shoulder)
- P Manuel Rodriguez (elbow)
- P Edwin Uceta (shoulder)
- OF Gavin Lux (shoulder)
The following players are on the injured list for Toronto:
- OF Anthony Santander (shoulder)
- P Cody Ponce (knee)
- C Alejandro Kirk (thumb)
- P Jose Berrios (elbow)
- P Shane Bieber (elbow)
- P Yimi Garcia (elbow)
- P Bowden Francis (elbow)
- OK Nathan Lukes (hamstring)
- P Max Scherzer (forearm)
OF Addison Barger is also day-to-day with with an elbow injury.
Weather
Cool temperatures will keep the retractable dome at Rogers Centre closed this evening.
Rays vs. Blue Jays betting trends
- The under is 5-2 in Toronto’s last seven games.
- The under is 13-1 in Tampa’s last 14 games.
- The Blue Jays have hit the team total under in 23 of their last 35 games.
Rays vs. Blue Jays player prop trends
- Rasmussen has struck out four or more batters in three straight starts and in five of his last six appearances, including a five-strikeout performance against Toronto last week. He’s around -115 to record over 3.5 strikeouts on Monday.
- Gausman has recorded 18 outs or less in seven of his eight starts this season, averaging 17.5 per game during that span. He’s -160 to record under 18.5 outs.
- Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto is taking a nine-game hitting streak into action Monday and is -165 to extend that streak.
- Rays catcher Nick Fortes has hit safely in six straight games and is -140 to extend his hitting streak.
