With the Tampa Bay Rays this season, it’s misleading sometimes to tell you who their starting pitcher will be because Manager Kevin Cash has begun starting a reliever in some games and then pulling him after an inning or so for the actual starter. That looks like it will be the case Tuesday against Toronto in the second game of their series. The MLB betting odds will be determined by what Cash does.
The Rays got some bad news Monday when ace Chris Archer was shut down following a setback with his left abdominal strain. Archer has felt soreness the last two days following a 20-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. There had been plans for him to throw a simulated game Monday, but those plans have been put on hold for the time being.
The Rays also put shortstop Daniel Robertson on the DL with a hamstring injury but have recalled the franchise’s top prospect, shortstop Willy Adames. The 22-year-old only had a brief stay with the Rays last month, but the opportunity could be there for him to run away with the job this time. Adeiny Hechavarria (hamstring) is close to returning, but he could be a trade candidate soon.
Adames, 22, was batting .286/.356/.424 with four homers and three steals over 54 games in Triple-A this season. Adames entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 19 overall prospect in the minors, and was No. 14 in its early-June update. He homered off Chris Sale in his second career at-bat to become the fifth Ray to homer in his major league debut, and the first player, Rays or visitor, to homer at Tropicana Field in his first career game.
Blue Jays at Rays MLB Betting Odds & Game Info – June 12th
When: Tuesday, 7:10 PM ET Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg Probable pitchers (away/home): Jaime Garcia/TBA TV: MLB Extra Innings Stream: MLB.tv Radio: 590 AM (Toronto) / 620 AM (Tampa Bay) Opening MLB Betting Lines: TBAPreston Guilmet made a perfect #BlueJays debut, but Game 1 goes to the Rays. Back to work tomorrow with Jaime on the hill. RECAP: https://t.co/OkIl8LBus8 pic.twitter.com/z60St7Lx53
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) June 12, 2018
Why Bet on Toronto?
The Jays entered Monday’s series opener on a four-game winning streak but still without All-Star closer Roberto Osuna. Major League Baseball has extended the administrative leave for Osuna for another week through June 18. Osuna’s leave has been extended a few times since his arrest for assault on May 8. He’s due to appear in court on June 18. Osuna could face a possible suspension from MLB even if he isn’t ultimately convicted. Ryan Tepera has emerged as the primary closer for the Blue Jays during his absence. Monitor the status of second baseman Devon Travis. Travis has felt some aching in his right knee since a collision with teammate Kevin Pillar in the outfield on Friday. Coming off his knee problems from last year, the Blue Jays don’t want to take any chances. Star third baseman Josh Donaldson (calf) needs to complete some baserunning drills before being activated from the disabled list. Donaldson has been going through other drills for a few days now but will have to show he can run the bases at full effort before the Jays clear him. He’s been sidelined for the last two weeks. Also entering Monday, Toronto’s starting rotation had recorded seven consecutive quality starts, their longest streak since putting together seven straight from Sept. 21-28, 2016. The team last had eight consecutive QS from July 29-Aug. 5, 2016. The Jays have not allowed more than two earned runs in any of their last seven outings (1.42 ERA) while holding opponents to a .173 AVG and three home runs.Who Will Start for the Blue Jays?
It’s veteran lefty Jaime Garcia (2-4, 5.57) here. Garcia threw six innings Thursday, yielding one run on three walks and four hits while striking out six in a 5-4 win over the Orioles. Toronto couldn’t give him much run support until a ninth-inning rally so he wouldn’t factor in to the decision. The 31-year-old lefty lowered his season ERA to 5.57 alongside a 50:24 K:BB ratio in 53.1 innings. Garcia hasn’t faced Tampa this year. Carlos Gomez has seen him more than any Rays player, going 12-for-33 with two doubles and a triple. CJ Cron has a homer in three at-bats off Garcia.Why Bet on Tampa Bay?
The Rays got some bad news Monday when ace Chris Archer was shut down following a setback with his left abdominal strain. Archer has felt soreness the last two days following a 20-pitch bullpen session on Saturday. There had been plans for him to throw a simulated game Monday, but those plans have been put on hold for the time being.
The Rays also put shortstop Daniel Robertson on the DL with a hamstring injury but have recalled the franchise’s top prospect, shortstop Willy Adames. The 22-year-old only had a brief stay with the Rays last month, but the opportunity could be there for him to run away with the job this time. Adeiny Hechavarria (hamstring) is close to returning, but he could be a trade candidate soon.
Adames, 22, was batting .286/.356/.424 with four homers and three steals over 54 games in Triple-A this season. Adames entered the season ranked by Baseball America as the No. 19 overall prospect in the minors, and was No. 14 in its early-June update. He homered off Chris Sale in his second career at-bat to become the fifth Ray to homer in his major league debut, and the first player, Rays or visitor, to homer at Tropicana Field in his first career game.
Who Well Has Tampa Bay Done This Season?
The Rays have arguably been the streakiest team in all of baseball, as so far they have gone on winning streaks of 8, 6 and 5 games and losing streaks of 8, 8, 5 and 4 games. They are the only team in the majors with multiple winning streaks of 5 games or more and multiple losing streaks of 5 games or more this season. The Rays have played 26 games decided by 1 run this season, 2nd-most in the majors to the Mariners (30). They are 9-17 (.346) in 1-run games, the most losses and 7th-lowest winning pct. in the majors. The Rays are the first team in the majors with 17 one-run losses within the first 64 games of the season since the 2015 A’s (18). The Rays are on pace for 43 one-run losses, which hasn’t been reached since the 1971 Astros (43). The club record for a season is 30 (2015). It’s not clear as of this writing who Cash will start Tuesday, but it should be an “opener” who only goes the first inning.Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Blue Jays are 1-6 in their last 7 during game 2 of a series.
- Blue Jays are 1-4 in Garcia’s last 5 road starts.
- Rays are 3-8 in their last 11 Tuesday games.
- Rays are 1-5 in their last 6 games vs. a left-handed starter.
