The Toronto Blue Jays (73-81) travel to face off against the Tampa Bay Rays (76-78) on Saturday, September 21st. This game will be played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg and televised on BSSUN. The Rays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Blue Jays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rays. First pitch is set for 3:10 CT.

Blue Jays vs. Rays Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Rays (-137)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs

• The Rays have won 5 of their last 7 home games.
• The Rays have outscored their opponents 26-10 in their last 5 home wins.
• The Rays have a 2-game winning streak, while the Blue Jays have lost 4 of their last 6 games.
• The Rays have a better home record (40-39) compared to the Blue Jays’ away record (35-44).
• In their last head-to-head series at home against the Blue Jays, the Rays won 2 out of 3 games.

Blue Jays vs Rays

Tampa Bay picked up a 1-0 win over the Blue Jays in the most recent game of this series. The Rays had just one more hit than the Blue Jays and struck out nine times, but still picked up the win. Heading into the game, they were at -101 on the money line.

This game featured a starting pitching matchup between Tyler Alexander for the Rays and Jose Berrios for the Blue Jays. Alexander only went 4 1/3 innings but didn’t give up a run or a home run. Berrios went six innings and gave up just one run and one home run.

Jonathan Aranda hit the game’s only home run while going 1/3 with an RBI. He scored the game’s only run. For the Blue Jays, their best hitter was Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who went 2/4.

As underdogs, the Blue Jays are 29-52 straight up this season, and their overall series record is 17-26-5. They are currently in 5th place in the AL East, three games behind the Red Sox for 4th place. Toronto’s overall record is 73-81, and they are 17 games behind the Yankees in the division.

On the run line, the Blue Jays have been profitable with a 77-77 record, including 49-30 on the road. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.3, and their games have averaged 8.7 runs per game this season. Heading into today’s game, they are on a three-game under streak, and their over/under record is 78-72 for the season.

Yariel Rodríguez Gets The Start For The Blue Jays

Right-hander Yariel Rodríguez gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Rays on the road. He has made 19 starts this season and has a record of 1-6 with an ERA of 4.29. So far, Rodríguez has turned in two quality starts and is coming off an outing where he went 4 1/3 innings, giving up one earned run, and finished with a no-decision. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Rodríguez has not won a game on the road this season, coming in with a record of 1-4 and an 8.40 ERA.

Blue Jays Offense Breakdown

So far this season, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is only 20th in the league. They have been a bit better at home, but their home run total of 153 is only 22nd in the MLB. As a team, they are batting .242, which is 11th in the league, and they have been good at avoiding strikeouts.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of the best hitters in the league this season, as he is batting .322 with 30 homers and 99 RBIs. He has also been hot of late, going 8/23 in his last six games. George Springer has 19 homers this season, but he is batting just .221.

As favorites, the Rays are 35-31 straight up this season, and they have a 56-32 run line record as underdogs. Their overall series record is 23-19-6, and their games have averaged 7.9 runs per game. The under has hit in three straight games for Tampa Bay, and their O/U record is 66-80 for the season.

Tampa Bay is currently 14 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, with a 76-78 overall record. They are in 3rd place in the division and have won two straight games, leading their series against the Blue Jays. At home, the Rays have a 40-39 record, while on the road, they are 36-39.

Taj Bradley Gets The Start For The Rays

Taj Bradley gets the start for the Rays today and will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Guardians. In that start, he took the loss, going 4 1/3 innings and giving up two earned runs. Looking at his overall numbers, Bradley has a record of 6-11 and an ERA of 4.39. Opponents are batting .234 off Bradley this season, and his ERA at home is 5.59 compared to 5.7 on the road. Bradley has made nine quality starts this year and is averaging 10.13 strikeouts per nine innings.

Rays Offense Breakdown

So far this season, the Rays are averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is 29th in the league. This is also the 24th ranked home run hitting team in the league and are batting just .231 as a team. Tampa Bay’s team OPS of .673 is also one of the worst marks in the league. Currently, their top three home run hitters are Christopher Morel (21 homers), Brandon Lowe (19), and Yandy Diaz (14).

Yandy Diaz comes into the game with a team-high 65 RBIs and is batting .283. He has also gone deep 14 times this season. Over his last eight games, Brandon Lowe has two homers but is just 7/33 during that stretch. Jonathan Aranda and Lowe are both on two-game hitting streaks.

Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction

Our prediction for today’s Blue Jays vs. Rays matchup is to take the Rays on the money line at -137. We actually have the Rays winning this one by a score of 5-4, so there is some value in taking them straight up.

Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Taj Bradley finishing with six strikeouts compared to Yariel Rodríguez at five. If you’re looking for a parlay, you could look to pair the Rays with an over/under pick. We like the over, as we see this one finishing with a combined nine runs.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* 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.