The Toronto Blue Jays (1-0) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (0-1) on Friday, March 29th. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on SNET. The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Tampa Bay Rays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 6:50 ET.
Blue Jays vs Rays
The Blue Jays offense came to life in the last game of this series vs. the Rays, putting up eight runs on seven hits in an 8-2 win. Toronto went deep three times, while the Rays hit just one home run.
Zach Eflin got the start for Tampa Bay and took the loss, giving up six earned runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. On the other side, Jose Berrios got the win, going six innings and giving up two earned runs. Berrios finished with six strikeouts.
Offensively, the Blue Jays didn’t have any player with more than one hit, but they got home runs from George Springer, Cavan Biggio, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Bo Bichette drove in two runs, while Alejandro Kirk also had two RBIs.
Chris Bassitt Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Chris Bassitt is coming off a season in which he made 33 starts and went 16-8. His ERA for the year was 3.60, and he had a WHIP of 1.18. Bassitt had a batting average allowed of .229, and his OBP allowed was .291. In his two starts against the Rays last season, Bassitt went 1-1 with an ERA of 0.79.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
Our player projections for the Blue Jays’ offense today have Bo Bichette as our top hitter in terms of total hits, and we have him with the best odds on the team to hit a home run. His home run projection is 4th best in today’s slate of games. George Springer is 3rd on the team in terms of total hits, and his home run projection is 2nd on the team and 6th in today’s games. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is 2nd in total hits for the Blue Jays, and his home run projection is 13th in today’s games.
Aaron Civale Gets The Start For The Rays
Aaron Civale is coming off a season in which he made 23 starts and went 7-5. His ERA for the season was 3.46, and he finished with a WHIP of 1.16. Civale’s batting average allowed was .231, and his on-base percentage allowed was .287. He made seven quality starts and finished the season with a total of 12 home runs allowed. For the season, Civale averaged 8.53 strikeouts per nine innings and 2.43 walks per nine innings.
Rays Offense Breakdown
Looking at the Rays’ projected offensive output, we see that Yandy Díaz has the highest total hits projection on the team and is 15th in the league in total hits projections for today’s games. Jose Siri is not far behind in terms of total hits, and he has the top home run projection on the team and 7th in the league for today. If you’re looking for a Rays player to go deep, Isaac Paredes has the 2nd best home run projection on the team and 9th in the league for today.
Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction
With the Blue Jays going off at +101 on the money line, that is the route we recommend going for today’s Blue Jays vs. Rays matchup. Our predicted final score is 6-5 in favor of the Blue Jays, giving us some nice value with them on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Aaron Civale is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is 12th among starters today. If you’re looking at picking up a win, Civale is seventh in our rankings. However, we have him finishing with the sixth most earned runs and eighth in hits allowed.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:March 29, 2024 Blue Jays, Rays