Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction and Betting Odds June 30
Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Betting Preview
WagerTalk MLB handicapper Andy Lang offers his Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays betting preview for Thursday, June 30. The Blue Jays and Rays sit 2.5 games of each other in the AL East with both chasing the Yankees atop the division.
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| Thursday, June 30 | MLB Betting Notes, Courtesy of Caesars |
|---|---|
| Moneyline: | Toronto Blue Jays -145 vs Tampa Bay Rays +122 |
| Runline: | Blue Jays -1.5 (+145) / Rays +1.5 (-165) |
| Total: | 9.5 Runs (Over -115 / Under -105) |
| Game Time: | 7:07pm ET / 4:07pm PT |
| Where: | Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON |
| Weather: | Retractable Roof |
Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Analysis
The Tampa Bay Rays begin a rare five game series against the Toronto Blue Jays from Rogers Centre on Thursday night. The Jays fell just short of a sweep as they lost 6-5 in the 10th inning to the Boston Red Sox. The Rays were swept in a two game mini series against the Milwaukee Brewers. Tampa Bay gives the ball to reliever turned opener Matt Wisler, while the lefty Yusei Kikuchi takes the mound for Toronto. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 PM EST/4:07 PST.
Blue Jays Bats Red Hot
The Toronto Blue Jays had a great start to their homestand, taking two of three games from the smoking hot Boston Red Sox. However, they fell just short of a sweep with a 6-5 loss in the 10th inning yesterday. As usual, Alek Manoah had a dominant outing as he allowed only two earned runs on six hits in seven innings of work. George Springer hit a solo blast and Raimel Tapia went 2 for 4 with a double. This Jays offense is outstanding, they rank 8th in scoring, 4th in batting average and 6th in on-base percentage. They scored a total of 18 runs in their three game series against Boston. Yusei Kikuchi draws a turn in the rotation and let’s be honest, he’s been awful. Kikuchi is 2-4 with a 5.08 ERA and 1.59 WHIP on the season. He hasn’t made it past the 4th inning in June and only lasted two innings in his last start against Milwaukee. He has also allowed a staggering six homeruns across 10 innings in his last three outings.
Rays Head North
The Tampa Bay Rays will be looking to gain ground in the American League East as they currently occupy 4th place with a 40-34 record. The Rays ironically lost their last two games against the Milwaukee Brewers by the exact same score of 5-3. Like today, it was a bullpen game but Jalen Beeks was the opener. Harold Ramirez went 2 for 4 with a run scored. The Rays desperately need to improve offensively as they average only 4.03 runs a game while ranking 26th in OPS. Randy Arozerena is starting to heat up, going 9 for 28 in his last 7 games played. It will be yet another Rays bullpen game, this time Matt Wisler will be the opener. He carries a 2.83 ERA across 35 innings of work as an opener and relief pitcher.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction
The Toronto Blue Jays are favored with a -145 money line, while the Tampa Bay Rays sit at +125 with a total of 9.5.
I want nothing to do with Yusei Kikuchi at this point and the Jays bullpen is definitely a weakness of theirs. Most teams would struggle with a bullpen game, but that’s what the Rays are built for.
Obviously the Jays have tremendous advantage offensively with a powerful lineup. This definitely isn’t my favorite play on the slate, but let’s make a small value play on the Rays with +125 odds.
Prediction: Tampa Bay Rays Moneyline +122
First Pitch | MLB Predictions for Thursday, June 30
Join Drew Martin and a rotating panel of guests for First Pitch as we break down the daily baseball slate from a betting perspective. Join WagerTalk’s team of MLB betting experts every weekday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT for First Pitch as we discuss the baseball betting slate.
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WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the MLB moneylines, run lines and betting percentages for all of Thursday’s baseball games, including this Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays AL East showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Andy Lang has lived in Indianapolis his whole life, and like most people from the Hoosier State, he became fascinated with motor sports. That interest in motor sports turned into a desire to make money off the sport through fantasy contests and sports betting. Like most, he took his lumps when he first got started, but now he is one of the most respected NASCAR bettors in the industry. Andy has expanded that sports betting experience to become profitable in a number of other sports, transforming this interest from a side hobby to a major source of income.
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