The AL East is going to end up being wide open this season. It might only be the beginning of April, but all of these games in division are going to be tough. The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays will look to get off to a good start at the Trop on Sunday afternoon.
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PITCHING MATCHUP
David Price and Mark Buehrle are gone, and when you take those guys away, there isn't a ton left to like about the Toronto rotation. Marcus Stroman came on strong in September by going 4-0 with a 1.67 ERA, and he's going to be called upon to start on Opening Day for the Jays.
Live bettors need to be aware that Stroman is likely on a bit of a pitch count. He threw more than 100 pitches just once last year and though he does a good job of limiting his pitches per inning and doesn't walk a lot of batters, we still view the 24-year old as vulnerable. He won't give up a lot of big innings, so live bettors can take solace in that, but he allows too much contact to be trusted in live betting if the Rays can get some things going with their bats.
Chris Archer meanwhile, is a stud. Last year, he had one of the best swing-and-miss ratios in the bigs, and he finished the season with 252 strikeouts in just 212.0 innings of work.
Sure, Archer only went 3-7 last year at home, but he had a 2.94 ERA and a WHIP of just 1.07. He had a GB:FB ratio of 1.89, and against the Jays, that's incredibly important. Leave too many up in the zone, and the ball is going to start leaving the yard. If Archer starts to struggle with his command just a bit, that's the time to start fading the Rays in live betting.
ADVANCED STATS
Last year, the Blue Jays led the majors in run production, and for good reason. They've got a great heart of the order with guys like Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Russell Martin, and though Troy Tulowitzki wasn't fantastic in his short time in Toronto, we know he'll bat better than the .239 he posted last season.
The Jays batted .286 with runners in scoring position last year, and they drove in more runs from this situation (597) than anyone else in baseball.
Archer will have to be really careful about these spots, especially when the top of the order is coming up. A bloop single can often turn into a big disaster against Toronto, especially since it blasted a league-high 232 homers last season.
TALKING BULLPENS
The biggest challenge Rays could have this year is with their bullpen. Brad Boxberger did save 41-of-47 games a season ago, but he only went 4-10 with a 3.71 ERA.
The challenge once Archer leaves the game is going to be the free passes. Granted, Tampa Bay issued a ton of intentional walks out of its pen last year, but the fact that Boxberger and Danny Farquhar, who figures to be the main setup man, combined to walk 50 guys last year is a real concern in this game if Archer leaves the Rays with a lead.
Live bettors need to be aware that a big price on Toronto in the late innings could be paid off thanks to a bumbling bullpen which could be an Achilles' heel in St. Pete throughout all of 2016.
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker's live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here, so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays will take place Sunday, April 3, 2016 at 4:05 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. You can watch the contest live on ESPN2.
