Separated by just a game and both in the heart of the AL East race, the Tampa Bay Rays (46-45, -$45) and Toronto Blue Jays (45-46, -$488) will meet up north of the border in the second of three on Saturday.
ODDS ANALYSIS
This series is only the second time these two teams have met with the Jays taking two of three down in St. Petersburg back in June. Overall, however, the Rays have taken seven of 10 from the Jays.
Interestingly, the Rays have taken three of four from the Blue Jays in Toronto this season despite the Jays posting an impressive 26-18 mark at home. While Toronto owns home field advantage in this one, the Rays are better on the road going 23-20.
The Rays have also won three straight heading into the break, snapping a lengthy losing stretch while the Jays slid into the break with four losses in their last five games.
PITCHING MATCHUP
The Rays have not announced their rotation out of the break, but Jake Odorizzi may get the start on Friday, fresh off the disabled list. With Chris Archer having thrown in the All-Star game and young guns like Erasmo Ramirez and Nathan Karns already having tossed a large number of innings, it may be Matt Moore who goes in Game 2 of this series.
Moore isn’t far removed from the disabled list himself, having finally made it back from his Tommy John surgery over a year ago. In three starts since his return, the young southpaw has experienced some struggles, lasting just 14 total innings, allowing 11 runs on 20 hits while walking seven.
Overall, his ERA is 7.07 with a 1.929 WHIP and 5.72 FIP. There is certainly an adjustment period, but the 26-year old has the talent to get back to top form with a career 3.66 ERA. In fact, his last start was his best as he continues to improve, allowing three runs in five innings to the powerful Houston Astros, recording the win.
The lefty had a solid rehab assignment in High-A Charlotte and Triple-A Durham with a combined 2.95 ERA, though he did walk 3.4 per nine innings and allow three home runs in just 21 1/3 innings.
While the Ray’s starter is a bit up in the air, the Jays have announced theirs and veteran knuckleballer R.A Dickey gets the nod.
Dickey continues to be a workhorse, giving the Jays a number of innings and saving their already weak bullpen, but the innings he’s given the team this year haven’t been good.
In 114 2/3 innings, Dickey has posted a 4.87 ERA and 1.360 WHIP with a dismal 3-10 record over 18 games. The long ball has been his biggest weakness with him allowing 17 to reach the cheap seats.
While his overall numbers leave plenty to be desired, he’s kept his team in the game of late with five quality starts in his last six outings.
QUOTE TO NOTE
The Rays struggled for a while at the end of the first half, but in their final game, clinched a series sweep and manager Kevin Cash noted how big that was, saying:
“Can’t pick a better way to finish up the half leading into the break. The guys were outstanding. I think it’s a testament just to what we’ve talked about all year with these guys here. We got knocked down, and they got up and played really good baseball these three games against Houston.”
LIVE/SITUATIONAL BETTING
While Dickey is just 3-10 and there are concerns about the Jays’ bullpen, the one thing that there are no concerns about is the Blue Jays’ offense.
Toronto leads the world in runs with 486 scored in the first half, 75 more than the next highest scoring team. The Jays also find themselves first in OPS (.772), second in home runs (115) and second in OBP (.331).
What makes the Jay’s offense so deadly is the depth of the team. They have their stars in Jose Bautista (.872 OPS), Josh Donaldson (.884 OPS) and Edwin Encarnacion (.778 OPS) in the heart of the order and that trio has combined for 56 bombs.
Outside of them, however, the team also has second baseman Devon Travis (.845 OPS) and catcher Russell Martin (.796 OPS) providing well above average offense for their respective positions.
In addition, the team caught lightning in a bottle with Chris Colabello (.871 OPS) and have room for improvement with Jose Reyes finally finding his stroke after missing time due to injury.
While scary, if Moore does get the start, this lineup becomes even better with Danny Valencia (.857 OPS) likely to get the start. Valencia is killer against lefties with a .304 average and is a big part of the reason the Jays have a staggering .844 team OPS against southpaws.
On the other side of the field, the Rays are the opposite of the Jays. It’s their pitching that has kept them relevant as their offense—while better than most expected—ranks in the bottom third of the league with 332 runs plated.
Tampa’s offense also takes a hit with the losses of Steven Souza (.718 OPS) and Asdrubal Cabrera who was finally starting to come around at the plate.
Of course, the offenses’ headliners are still Logan Forsythe (.776 OPS), Evan Longoria (.764 OPS) and Joey Butler (.772 OPS). The trio has put up solid numbers but don’t compare to Donaldson, Bautista and Encarnacion.
PROP TALK
Longoria’s numbers have dropped the last few years and while he is still a very good player, he is no longer the superstar he once was. Despite that, he may be the best bet for the Rays from a prop bets perspective on Saturday.
He’s 10 for 37 in his career against Dickey and has four doubles and two home runs, leading the Rays in both categories against the veteran knuckler.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Dickey has pitched better of late and the Jays offense is dynamic, particularly against lefties. That should be enough to give Toronto the edge provided the opposing starter is not Odorizzi or Archer.
Toronto 7, Tampa Bay 4
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
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 pitting the Tampa Bay Rays versus the Toronto Blue Jays will commence Saturday, July 18, 2015, at 1:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
