Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays Picks, Predictions, Odds

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Analysis

Toronto and Tampa Bay meet up for the first of a two-game series on Tuesday, August 2, 2022 at Tropicana Field.

The Blue Jays are 57-45 overall and 23-24 on the road, which positions Toronto second in the American League East standings and trails the division leading New York Yankees by 12 games. Tampa Bay is currently positioned third in the American League East standings with records of 54-48 overall and 32-20 at home, putting the Rays 15 games back for the division lead.

Updated on 11/22/2024

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Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Prediction

Toronto enters this matchup second in the AL East standings, 11 and a half games behind the New York Yankees for first place. The Blue Jays won three of four in their most recent series against Detroit and have won eight of their last 10 games. Both sides of the ball have been grooving for Toronto over that stretch, averaging seven runs per game while holding opponents to just over three runs per game. It may be tough to catch the Yankees with how dominant they have been, but Toronto is in a good spot atop the AL Wild Card race. The right-hander Kevin Gausman (7-8, 3.30 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Blue Jays Tuesday.  

The Tampa Bay Rays are currently third in the AL East, 14 and a half games behind the New York Yankees for first place. The Rays lost two of three games in their most recent series with Cleveland and have lost seven of their last 10 games. The offense has struggled over that stretch, averaging three runs per game. Tampa Bay’s bullpen has not been much better, allowing opponents 4.3 runs per game over their last 10. The Rays are currently in the third AL Wild Card spot but will need play better down the final leg of the season if they want to hold that position. Right-handed pitcher Drew Rasmussen (6-3, 3.17 ERA) is expected to take the mound Tuesday.  

The Rays have the pitching advantage in this matchup with Rasmussen taking the mound. However, it's tough to bet against a Toronto team averaging seven runs per game over their last 10. Tampa Bay has also had trouble scoring runs as of late, so backing the Blue Jays moneyline is the best play here.  

Score Prediction: Blue Jays 5, Rays 3
Best Bet: Blue Jays ML (-140)

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Odds

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays Betting Resources

• Date: Tuesday, August 2, 2022
• Matchup: AL East vs. AL East
• Venue: Tropicana Field
• Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
• Time-TV: 7:10 p.m. ET – MLB Network

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Current Form

The Blue Jays and the St. Louis Cardinals split their series on Wednesday, but grabbed 3 of 4 games last Sunday against the Tigers. The Tigers scored only one run against the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, which was Toronto’s best result in the last two series.

Toronto cruised past the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday by plating 10 runs in the first of a game of the series. Tampa Bay has suffered two straight series losses, falling to the Orioles and the Guardians. In Thursday’s game, fourth of four they played against the Baltimore Orioles, the offense of Tampa Bay didn’t manage to produce even a single run. The second of three matches on Saturday marked an six-run effort by Tampa Bay against the Cleveland Guardians, which was their best performance this week.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Pitching Matchup

Toronto: Kevin Gausman (7-8, 3.30 ERA)

Kevin Gausman takes the mound in the series opener as he makes his 19th start of the season for the Blue Jays in this contest. He comes in 7-8 with a 3.30 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP, 19 walks and 122 strikeouts over 103.2 innings of work on the year. Gausman got assigned the loss in his last start, which came at home against the St. Louis Cardinals on July 27, 2022. He threw 4.2 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with one walk and six strikeouts in an eventual 1-6 the Blue Jays defeat. In his eight starts on the road this season, Gausman is 4-3 with a 2.34 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP, nine walks and 59 strikeouts over 50 innings of work.

Tampa Bay: Drew Rasmussen (6-3, 3.17 ERA)

Drew Rasmussen takes the mound in the series opener as he makes his 17th start of the season for the Rays in this contest. He comes in 6-3 with a 3.17 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP, 23 walks and 70 strikeouts over 82.1 innings of work on the year. The 27-year-old right-hander didn’t factor in the decision in his last start, when the Rays lost to the Baltimore Orioles on July 27, 2022 on the road. Rasmussen tossed 4.2 innings in the 4-6 defeat by the Baltimore Orioles, while giving up three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Rasmussen owns a home record of 3-0 this season, in seven starts at the Tropicana Field. In those outings, he has posted a 2.10 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, seven walks, and 34 strikeouts in 38.2 innings of work.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Tampa Bay Rays – Series History

Tampa Bay had a great 2021 season in this matchup, tallying a 11-8 mark. In the current season, the Rays are still up with five wins out of eight games.