Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Odds, Prediction
Toronto is a -150 favourite on the MLB odds for Friday’s opener.
Rays vs. Jays Sept 29 Betting Analysis
Tampa Bay has nothing to play for as it will be the AL’s top wild-card team next week and host the No. 2 wild-card club. That may well be Toronto. The lone playoff meeting between the teams was a 2020 wild-card series won in a two-game sweep at home by Tampa Bay.
With that wild card series starting Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Rays may opt to rest some key players each game this weekend and also work their rotation so it is set up best for the postseason. Will the franchise win its first-ever World Series title? Most likely not due to injuries in the rotation and with All-Star shortstop Wander Franco done for 2023 due to some legal issues in his native Dominican Republic.
The season series is tied 5-5 after the Rays lost two of three at home to Toronto last weekend. Bo Bichette is batting .413 vs. Rays pitching this year with a homer. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer both have three homers and 11 RBIs in the series.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays come off a two-game sweep of Boston, not that it changed anything in the AL playoff picture. Tampa Bay officially was locked into the AL’s top wild card spot Thursday when Baltimore clinched the AL East. Rays All-Star infielder Yandy Diaz missed his second in a row Wednesday with a hamstring injury and there’s no reason to rush him back this weekend. All-Star outfielder Randy Arozarena did play in Wednesday’s finale after missing three in a row with a quad injury. Two other outfielders, Luke Raley and Jose Siri, are on the IL. Aaron Civale (7-4, 3.43 ERA) was acquired around the trade deadline from Cleveland and starts on the mound Friday. The right-hander has been rather inconsistent with Tampa at 2-2 with a 5.36 ERA in nine starts. Civale was rocked for six runs over three innings last Wednesday in most recent start and hasn’t pitched since due to an illness. He hasn’t faced Toronto in 2023. Whit Merrifield has seen him by far the most of a Blue Jay and is 7-for-15 with a double and homer.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays got a massive win Thursday to avoid a home sweep by the Yankees as Chris Bassitt was spectacular in a 6-0 win over New York. He was so good the bullpen was barely used, which is excellent news ahead of this series. Toronto holds the AL’s second wild card spot by a game over Houston and is two games ahead of Seattle, which is the only other WC option and got an epic comeback win late Thursday over Texas to essentially stay alive. But it’s looking very good for Toronto, which wins a tiebreaker vs. the Astros but loses one vs. the Mariners. The Jays have magic number of 2, so as long as they win two more games they are in and may not even need to win two. Clinching Friday is possible with a win and help. Lefty Yusei Kikuchi (10-6, 3.82 ERA) takes the mound and the bullpen surely will be needed as he hasn’t pitched more than five innings in any of his five starts this month. He took a no-decision last Sunday at the Rays, allowing three runs and nine hits over four and is 1-1 against them overall this season with a 5.40 ERA in 15 innings.