The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays are set for the first of a three game series north of the border on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Rays are 50-50 on the season, and fourth place in the American League East.
For Toronto, they are 45-54 on the season. The Blue Jays are dead last in the American League East. The Blue Jays won on Sunday, and have split their last ten games. Toronto comes into the game with a 22-26 home record this season.
The Toronto Blue Jays come into this game at -162 over Tampa Bay. The total for this affair is set at 8.5 runs.
Toronto’s struggles continue
The Blue Jays have been one of the most disappointing teams in all of Major League Baseball this season. Toronto is scoring just 4.1 runs per game. The Blue Jays team batting average is .237 on the season, and they have hit just 91 homeruns. All of those are near the bottom of the league.
Toronto may be looking to trade guys as the deadline approaches. Vladimir Guerrero could be a huge chip for the Blue Jays. The slugger is hitting .292 on the season, with a team leading 16 homeruns. George Springer is second with 13 homeruns, while Dalton Varshop sits at 11 on the season.
Jose Berrios will get the nod for Toronto. Berrios is 8-7 on the season, with a 4.01 earned run average. The right hander has pitched in 20 games this season, and tossed 119 innings. During that time, he has struck out 87 batters.
Things have not been much better in Tampa
Tampa Bay with their loss on Monday sit right at .500 on the season. The Rays have also struggled on the offensive side. The Rays have a team batting average of .236 on the season, and are scoring just 4 runs per game. The Rays are 26th in baseball with 95 homeruns on the season.
Randy Arozerena was projected to be the top offensive star for the Rays, but he has struggled all season. He is hitting just .212 on the season. He is second on the team with 15 homeruns, while Isaac Paredes leads the way with 16, and 18 doubles.
Tampa has yet to announce a starting pitcher for this game yet. The Rays pitching is allowing 4.5 runs per game, and nearly 8.5 hits per game. Opponents are hitting .245 against them on the season.
Toronto Wins at Home
The Toronto Blue Jays are going to win this game at home. Neither team has played great baseball, but in the end, we like Berrios to be strong against Tampa here. Look for six strong innings, and just enough offense from the Toronto bats to win this game. Take the Toronto Blue Jays -160 over the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday!
