Our Rays vs. Blue Jays prediction for Tuesday night again points toward Tampa Bay, as the Rays bring a 15-2 surge over their last 17 games into Rogers Centre and look poised to keep rolling against a Toronto club still battling injuries and relying on Patrick Corbin to keep things close.
Rays vs. Blue Jays prediction
Rays moneyline: -111 @ Pinnacle
Rays moneyline
The Rays still aren’t getting much respect from online sportsbooks despite winning 15 of their last 17 games.
On Monday, the Rays were +110 underdogs against the Blue Jays and came away with an 8-5 win to help us cash on our prediction. In their three previous games against Toronto in early May, the Rays were listed as small favourites with closing lines in the -125 to -135 range. Tampa earned victories in each of those three games against Toronto.
Even more surprising, Tampa hasn’t closed as a bigger favourite than -155 during its current hot streak over the last 17 games.
It’s hard to look away from the red-hot Rays at such favourable odds (52.6% implied odds) again on Tuesday, so we’ll back them to win on the moneyline and continue their dominance of the Blue Jays and AL opponents.
The Rays have an edge in Tuesday’s starting pitching matchup, with Shane McClanahan in good form, while Corbin’s ugly advanced metrics suggest he’s due for some regression.
Tampa is also the superior team on paper in terms of bullpen and run production, putting it in a position to take advantage of a Toronto squad missing several key players due to injury.
As always, shop around for the most favourable odds at the best MLB betting sites before locking in any wagers on our Rays vs. Blue Jays prediction.
Rays vs. Blue Jays odds
| Rays moneyline odds | -125 |
| Blue Jays moneyline odds | +105 |
| Run line odds | Rays -1.5 (+145), Blue Jays +1.5 (-170) |
| Game total | Over 8 runs (-105), Under 8 runs (-115) |
| Date/time | May 12, 7:07 p.m. ET |
Betting the Rays (27-13 SU, 25-15 ATS, 19-21 o/u)
The Rays picked up their fourth straight win versus the Blue Jays this season with an 8-5 victory in the series opener at Rogers Centre on Monday night.
Tampa torched Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman for a season-high 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) in that contest to pick up its 15th win in the last 17 games overall.
With the win, Tampa expanded its lead atop the American League East Division to two games over the New York Yankees.
The Rays have won 10 straight games and an incredible 20 of 21 when scoring four or more runs this season.
Betting the Blue Jays (18-23 SU, 17-24 ATS, 21-20 o/u)
The hobbled Blue Jays have now dropped six of their last eight games, but they are still only 1.5 games back of a playoff spot in the weak AL.
With several key contributors still on the injured list, Toronto must find a way to remain competitive as it enters a very difficult portion of its schedule. Following these next two games with the Rays, the Blue Jays visit Detroit and New York (Yankees) before the Pittsburgh Pirates come to Rogers Centre for three games.
Toronto has been outscored 20-9 by the Rays over four games this season.
Probable starting pitchers
Tampa Bay: LHP Shane McClanahan (4-2, 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 8.83 K/9)
After missing the past two seasons due to injury, McClanahan is back healthy and competing like an ace again.
The southpaw has held the opposition scoreless in each of his last three outings, including in his appearance last Wednesday against the Blue Jays, who managed just two hits over 5 2/3 innings against him.
McClanahan’s fastball has been hit hard this season (.306 batting average, .318 xBA), but his off-speed pitches (changeup, slider, curveball) rank in the 95th percentile in run value through seven starts.
It should be noted that McClanahan has performed poorly on the road this season, though, posting an ugly 5.14 ERA across 14 innings away from Tropicana Field. It’s obviously a small sample size, but it is noteworthy at this early junction of the season.
Toronto: LHP Patrick Corbin (1-1, 3.60 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 6.30 K/9)
Corbin has been a pleasant surprise for the Blue Jays, holding the opposition to two runs or less in five straight starts since signing with the team in early April.
However, a quick glance at Corbin’s Statcast metrics reveal he’s been quite lucky to start the season, as evidenced by his ugly 6.23 xERA and .310 xBA.
Corbin held the Rays to two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings last Wednesday in a game Tampa Bay ultimately won 3-0 at Tropicana Field.
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)
OF Chandler Simpson is day-to-day with a leg injury.
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 (arm)
Weather
Cool temperatures will keep the retractable dome at Rogers Centre closed for this evening’s game.
Rays vs. Blue Jays betting trends
- The under is 13-2 in Tampa’s last 15 games.
- The Rays have won all four meetings with Toronto this season.
- The Rays are 9-1 against AL East opponents this season.
Rays vs. Blue Jays player prop trends
- Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto has hit safely in 10 straight games and is around -200 to extend that streak.
- McClanahan has recorded under 15.5 outs in five of his seven starts this season and is -110 to come in under that number again.
- Corbin has allowed under 2.5 earned runs in five of his six starts this season. He’s around -150 to stay under that number on Tuesday.
- Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho has hit safely in three straight games and eight of his last 10. He’s around -165 to get a hit.
