Bet the Blue Jays vs Rays Pro Baseball Lines

Posted by Eric Williams on Monday,April 4, 2016 3:17, EDT in

After winning their season opener 5-3 on Sunday, the Toronto Blue Jays will look to hand the Tampa Bay Rays another loss when they square off in the third game of a four game set on Tuesday night at Tropicana Field. The 23-year-old right hander Aaron Sanchez will take the mound for the Blue Jays, while 26-year-old right hander Jake Odorizzi will get the start for the Rays. Now, let’s find out which team to back in this AL East MLB Betting Lines matchup.

How To Bet the Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay MLB Odds, TV & Game Info:

When: Tuesday, April 05 – 7:10 PM EST
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Starting Pitchers: Blue Jays: Aaron Sanchez (0-0) vs Rays: Jake Odorizzi (0-0)
TV: SNET
Radio: Blue Jays and Rays
TV Stream: SNET
MLB Odds: TBA

Why Bet the Toronto Blue Jays

Because Aaron Sanchez was on fire this spring! Aaron Sanchez was officially named to the Blue Jays’ starting rotation during the final week of spring training. Sanchez was initially considered for the bullpen, but had a fantastic spring as a starter by posting a 1.35 ERA with 19 strikeouts and just three walks over 20.0 innings.

Sanchez has boasted a 1.67 ERA in 59 career innings as a reliever, but has struggled as a starter, posting a 3.55 ERA in 66 innings.

Why Bet the Tampa Bay Rays

There is no good reason to bet the Rays other than the fact that they’re playing at home. Right hander Jake Odorizzi will take the mound for the Rays, but that’s not a good thing, seeing as how he got smacked around by the Jays a couple of times last season. Odorizzi had a solid 2015 season in going 9-9 with a solid 3.35 ERA but he also went 1-2 with a 5.71 ERA against Toronto while giving up 15 hits in just 17.0 innings.

Jays power hitter Josh Donaldson took Orodizzi deep twice in just eight official at bats last season. Odorizzi also struggled in spring training this year, giving up 15 hits and 10 earned runs in just 13.0 innings pitched.

Expert Prediction and Pick

The Toronto Blue Jays are the easy pick, seeing as how the Tampa Bay Rays struggle mightily to score runs, ranking just 25th overall in runs per game last season.

The Blue Jays are 6-2 in the last 8 meetings and 38-18 in their last 56 games against a right-handed starter. Conversely, the Rays are 1-5 in Odorizzi’s last six starts versus a team with a winning record.

My final score prediction: Toronto 5 Tampa Bay 3