The Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are trying to shake off a rough few days as they stare up at the New York Yankees in the American League East standings.
The division rivals meet Friday in Tampa Bay, with each sending out more-than-capable starters in the Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman and the Rays’ Drew Rasmussen. That matchup on the mound has led to a low total of 6.5 in what is expected to be a tight game.
Props.com breaks down Blue Jays vs Rays odds for Friday.
Odds via WynnBet and updated as of 5:45 p.m. ET on May 13.
Toronto Blue Jays (17-15) vs Tampa Bay Rays (19-13)
First pitch/TV: 7:10 p.m. ET/MLB.TV
Moneyline: Blue Jays -118/Rays -108
Runline: Blue Jays -1.5 (+145)/Rays +1.5 (-175)
Total: 6.5 (Over -125/Under +105)
Pitching matchup: RHP Kevin Gausman (3-1, 2.13 ERA, 1.00 WHIP) vs RHP Drew Rasmussen (3-1, 2.89 ERA, 0.96 WHIP)
Season series: First meeting.
Did you know: The Rays have ruled this rivalry over the past 14 seasons, going 155-99 overall and 88-43 at home.
About the Blue Jays
Hits & Misses: Toronto has lost four in a row — two to Cleveland, followed by two to the Yankees. New York’s lead in the AL East is up to 4.5 games over Tampa Bay and 6.5 over the Blue Jays. Despite winning records, Toronto and Tampa Bay have negative run differentials of -13 and -3, respectively. The Blue Jays are hitting just .181 with runners in scoring position this season. Toronto is 18-14 to the Under, but the Blue Jays are 6-2 to the Over in their last eight.
Gausman vs Rays: The veteran right-hander is off to a dominant start with Toronto, after spending the previous three-plus seasons in the National League with Atlanta, Cincinnati and San Francisco. Gausman leads the majors in pitching WAR, and he has not allowed more than two runs in any outing since allowing three in the season opener. He has not allowed a home run all season and has 46 strikeouts to only one walk. That free pass came in Gausman’s last outing, when he allowed one run on six hits in 6.1 innings, in an 8-3 victory against Cleveland. The Blue Jays are 5-1 in his starts this season.
Key injuries: IF/OF Cavan Biggio (COVID-19) and C Danny Jansen (strained oblique) have started rehab assignments after being out since April.
About the Rays
Hits & Misses: Tampa Bay defeated the Los Angeles Angels 4-2 in 10 innings Wednesday to snap a three-game losing skid, a day after the Rays were no-hit by Angels rookie Reid Detmers. Tampa Bay had won six in a row and nine of 11 before the recent downturn, and the Rays will be coming home from a 10-game road trip. SS Wander Franco served as the designated hitter Wednesday to get some extra rest, with the off day Thursday. Franco, who signed a monster 11-year, $182 million deal in the offseason after his rookie year, is hitting .304 with four home runs and 15 RBIs this season. Tampa Bay is 7-3-2 to the Over in its last 12 games (15-14-3 Under for the season).
Rasmussen vs Blue Jays: The right-hander has been solid this season as he makes the transition to full-time starter. He was a full-time reliever with Milwaukee in 2020 and a part-time starter with Milwaukee and Tampa Bay last season. Rasmussen has not allowed more than three runs in any outing this season and has allowed one or fewer in his past three starts. In his last outing, he allowed one run on five hits in five innings, in an 8-2 victory over Seattle. One caveat about his performance so far: He has not faced a team that currently has a winning record.
Key injuries: OF Manuel Margot (right hamstring tightness) missed the past two games but is probable Friday.
Notable Trends
- TOR is 0-4 in its last four and 2-7 in its last nine
- TOR is 5-0 in Gausman’s last five starts as a favorite
- TB is 1-3 in its last four but 7-3 in its last 10
- Under is 8-1-2 in the last 11 TOR-TB meetings overall
- Under is 7-1 in the last eight TOR-TB meetings in Tampa
- Over is 6-0 in TOR’s last six against a right-handed starter
- Under is 5-0-1 in TB’s last six against AL East teams
- Under is 4-0 in Rasmussen’s last four starts at home
Blue Jays vs Rays Odds and Action
UPDATE 5:45 P.M. ET: The Blue Jays opened as -120 favorites at WynnBet, went to -123 and are now down to -118, despite 60% of bets and 58% of money on Toronto. The total opened at 6.5 (-110) and is up to 6.5 (Over -125) on lopsided action, with 75% of bets and 98% of money on the Over.
UPDATE 12:45 P.M. ET: Early Thursday, Toronto opened as a -141 chalk in DraftKings’ Blue Jays vs Rays odds market. Midafternoon Thursday, the moneyline dropped to Blue Jays -125, then went to -120 Thursday night. Early this morning brought a jump to -135, then a move to Jays -130/Rays +110 around 8:30 a.m. Late this morning, the price again adjusted toward Tampa, at Jays -125/Rays +105. Toronto is taking 69% of early tickets and 55% of early cash. The total opened at 6.5 (Over -115), peaked at 7 (Under -120) and is now 6.5 (Over -120), with 79% of tickets/93% of cash on the Over.