The Toronto Blue Jays look to carry Tuesday’s offensive breakout into the second game of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday night. Toronto erupted for 10 runs on 17 hits in the opener and has won 13 of its last 19 games, keeping its playoff hopes alive. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay remains atop the AL East despite dropping four of its last five. Our Blue Jays vs. Rays prediction breaks down the latest MLB odds, starting pitching matchup, betting trends, injuries, and player props to find the best value for Wednesday’s matchup.
Blue Jays vs. Rays prediction
Blue Jays over 2.5 runs scored: -125 best odds @ BET99
Blue Jays over 2.5 runs
Fresh off a 10-run outburst on Tuesday, look for the Blue Jays to muster enough offence to score at least three runs on Wednesday night versus the Rays. Every player in the starting nine managed at least one hit on Tuesday, so that momentum should carry over to a respectable offensive output in the second game of this series.
This will be the fourth time the Blue Jays have faced Rays starting pitcher Drew Rasmussen this season, and they’ve managed to do some damage off him in the previous three matchups (8 ER in 17 innings). Toronto’s current roster has a combined .258/.317/.376 slash line with a .693 OPS in 93 previous at-bats against Rasmussen, which is very respectable considering the breakout season the right-hander is enjoying.
The Blue Jays have managed three runs or more in six of their last seven games overall and are averaging 3.95 runs per game this season.
Blue Jays vs. Rays odds
| Blue Jays moneyline odds | +180 |
| Rays moneyline odds | -200 |
| Run line odds | Rays -1.5 (+105), Blue Jays +1.5 (-125) |
| Game total | Over 7.5 runs (+100), Under 7.5 runs (-120) |
| Date/time | Aug. 19, 6:40 p.m. ET |
Betting the Blue Jays (62-65 SU, 62-65 ATS, 66-60-1 o/u)
The Blue Jays have won 13 of their last 19 games to vault back into playoff contention in the weak American League. They trail the Texas Rangers by just a half game for the final AL Wild Card spot entering play on Wednesday night, giving them a 21.4% chance of making the playoffs according to FanGraphs.
Toronto exploded for 10 runs on 17 hits in the series opener on Tuesday, getting a huge lift from a trio of homers off the bats of Alejandro Kirk, Josh Smith, and Kazuma Okamoto. Toronto is averaging just 3.95 runs per game this season, which ranks as the second worst offence in the league behind Seattle (3.88).
Toronto’s bullpen is in great shape heading into Wednesday’s contest after a light workload on Tuesday and an off-day Monday, so all of the team’s high-leverage relievers should be locked and loaded.
Betting the Rays (75-50 SU, 70-54-1 ATS, 57-66-1 o/u)
The Rays still enjoy a five-game lead atop the AL East Standings despite losing four of their last five games. This is the worst stretch of baseball the Rays have played since mid-July when they dropped five straight games to the Red Sox and Mariners, but with such a big cushion in the standings, there’s no reason for the team to panic.
This Tampa team is very well balanced, with its only weakness being home run power. The Rays have swatted just 132 home runs this season to rank 21st in the majors, but they also lead the league in hits per game (8.8). They aren’t afraid to wreak havoc on the basepaths either, with 126 stolen bases (third in MLB).
Probable starting pitchers
Toronto: RHP Max Scherzer (1-5, 6.59 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 6.8 K/9)
Scherzer has been excellent over his last four starts, holding the opposition to a combined five earned runs over 18 innings of work. Boston managed just three hits and one run over five innings against the future Hall of Famer the last time he took the hill.
The 42-year-old right-hander has also been exceptional away from Rogers Centre this year, owning a 3.21 ERA while holding the opposition to a .259 batting average across three road starts.
There’s no doubt Scherzer’s stuff is in decline, but he’s got confidence right now and could be poised for a solid finish to what could be the final few starts of his illustrious career.
Tampa Bay: RHP Drew Rasmussen (12-5, 2.78 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 9.26 K/9)
Rasmussen has pitched his way into the AL Cy Young Award conversation this year, with most online sportsbooks giving him the fourth-shortest odds (around +3300) behind Cam Schlittler, Dylan Cease, and Sonny Gray.
The right-hander has held the opposition scoreless in three of his last six starts and is coming off a solid start against the Athletics, who managed just two runs on four hits over five innings against him.
Rasmussen’s elite 4.5% walk rate has aided him greatly in keeping runners off the basepaths this season, and his sinker and changeup have been nearly unhittable to this point.
This will be the fourth time the Blue Jays have seen Rasmussen this season, though, and they’ve been able to touch him for eight earned runs over 17 innings (4.24 ERA) in the previous three games.
Notable injuries
The following notable players are on the injured list for Toronto:
- 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (concussion)
- P Trey Yesavage (knee)
- P Jameson Taillon (forearm)
- P Patrick Corbin (shoulder)
- OF Addison Barger (elbow)
- P Yimi Garcia (elbow)
- OF Anthony Santander (shoulder)
- P Jose Berrios (elbow)
- P Cody Ponce (knee)
The following notable players are on the injured list for Tampa Bay:
- P Ryan Pepiot (hip)
- OF Gavin Lux (shoulder)
- P Griffin Jax (elbow)
- OF Jake Fraley (hernia)
Weather
This game will be played indoors under the dome at Tropicana Field.
Blue Jays vs. Rays betting trends
- The Rays are 8-3 SU in the past 11 meetings.
- The over is 8-3 in Toronto’s last 11 games.
- The Rays have hit the team total under in eight of their last 11 games at home.
Blue Jays vs. Rays player prop trends
- Scherzer has recorded four strikeouts or more in each of his last five starts, averaging 4.2 per game during that span. He’s +105 to record over 3.5 strikeouts.
- Scherzer has surrendered five hits or less in five straight starts and nine of his last 10, allowing an average of 4.3 per game during that span. He’s -150 to allow under 5.5 hits.
- Taylor Walls has hit safely in nine straight games and is -120 to extend that hitting streak.
- Kirk has hit safely in seven straight games and 16 of his last 20. He’s -210 to get a hit.
