Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays 5/4/2018 Free MLB Picks and Predictions

Friday, May 4, 2018

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: J.A. Happ vs. Ryan Yarbrough

The Toronto Blue Jays head to Tropicana Field on Friday, May 4, 2018 to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. The expected starting pitchers are J.A. Happ for the Blue Jays and Ryan Yarbrough for the Rays.

The odds for this matchup have Toronto at -129 and Tampa Bay at +119. The Blue Jays have a 15-13-2 over/under mark and a 18-12-0 run line record. The Rays are 16-13-0 against the run line and have a 17-12-0 over/under record.

Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 15-13-2 against the over/under

The Toronto Blue Jays are 18-12-0 against the run line

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 17-12-0 against the over/under

The Tampa Bay Rays are 16-13-0 against the run line

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

05/03/18 3B Josh Donaldson Shoulder is upgraded to probable Thursday vs Cleveland Indians
04/30/18 RF Randal Grichuk Knee 10-day DL (04/30)
03/29/18 CF Anthony Alford Hamstring 10-day DL (03/26)
03/29/18 CF Dalton Pompey Wrist 10-day DL (03/26)
03/26/18 SS Troy Tulowitzki Foot 60-day DL (03/29)

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

05/02/18 P Yonny Chirinos Forearm 10-day DL (04/29)
04/17/18 CF Kevin Kiermaier Thumb 60-day DL (04/16)
04/11/18 P Jose De Leon Elbow 60-day DL (03/28)
03/29/18 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 10-day DL (03/28)

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Blue Jays have a 17-13 overall record this season. Starting pitcher J.A. Happ has a 4-1 record with an earned run average of 3.50 and a WHIP of 1.03 this year. He has 50 strikeouts over his 36 innings pitched and he's given up 30 hits. He allows 7.5 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.38. The bullpen has an earned run average of 2.33 and they have given up 88 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .240 against the bullpen and they've struck out 98 hitters and walked 30 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 8.7 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.8 batters per nine innings. They are 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 259 base hits and 123 earned runs. They have allowed 40 home runs this season, ranking them 6th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 96 batters and struck out 261. They have walked 3.2 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.33 and their FIP as a unit is 4.41.

Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .232, good for 26th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .421 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .319, which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 24th in MLB with 7.8 hits per game. Kevin Pillar is hitting .324 with an on-base percentage of .374. He has 36 hits this season in 111 at bats with 15 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .577 and an OPS+ of 152. Justin Smoak is hitting .257 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .362. He has totaled 28 hits and he has driven in 18 men in 109 at bats. His OPS+ is 114 while his slugging percentage is at .431. The Blue Jays have 235 hits, including 53 doubles and 42 home runs. Toronto has walked 117 times so far this season and they have struck out 261 times as a unit. They have left 202 men on base and have a team OPS of .740. They score 5.2 runs per contest and have scored a total of 156 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 13-16 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 4.19, Ryan Yarbrough has a 1-1 record and a 1.29 WHIP this season. He has 16 strikeouts over the 19.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 15 hits. He allows 7 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.71. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.78 and they have given up 115 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .258 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 108 batters and walked 47 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 8.6 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.6 batters per nine innings. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.41. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 247 base knocks and 127 earned runs this season. They have given up 28 home runs this year, which ranks 20th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 97 hitters and struck out 249 batters. They give up a walk 3.4 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.33 while their FIP as a staff is 3.93.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .262, good for 3rd in the league. The Rays hold a .404 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .331, which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.1 hits per contest. C.J. Cron comes into this matchup batting .265 with an OBP of .306. He has 30 hits this year along with 19 RBI in 113 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .496 with an OPS+ of 121. Mallex Smith is hitting .322 this season and he has an OBP of .385. He has collected 28 hits in 87 at bats while driving in 5 runs. He has an OPS+ of 124 and a slugging percentage of .402. The Rays as a unit have 263 base hits, including 43 doubles and 29 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 92 times this year and they have struck out on 258 occasions. They have had 203 men left on base and have an OPS of .735. They have scored 4.48 runs per game and totaled 130 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Blue Jays/Rays MLB game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Blue Jays -129

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