Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays Expert MLB Picks 9/6/2019

Friday, September 6, 2019

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Clay Buchholz vs. Brendan McKay

Justin Smoak and the Toronto Blue Jays (55-85, 4th in AL East) are headed to Tropicana Field on Friday where they'll meet the Tampa Bay Rays (82-59, 2nd in AL East). The odds on this game have the Blue Jays priced at +163 and the Rays are at -190. The O/U opens at 9.

The Blue Jays have been a hot and cold option for baseball wagerers, having gone 55-85-0 SU. The Rays are covering 58.2% of the time, going 82-59-0 straight up.

Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Blue Jays have been a pretty good Over play for over/under bettors, having gone 63-71-6.

The Blue Jays are covering 39.4% of the time as a visitor, having gone 28-43-0 straight up.

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Rays are covering 54.9% of the time at Tropicana Field, going 39-32-0 SU.

The Rays have been a pretty good Over play for over/under bettors, having gone 67-66-8.

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Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

9/1/2019 Luke Maile C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
8/27/2019 Lourdes Gurriel LF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 5
8/11/2019 Ryan Borucki SP Elbow Out for the season
8/9/2019 Elvis Luciano RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
8/7/2019 Devon Travis 2B Knee Out for the season
7/22/2019 Matt Shoemaker SP Knee Out for the season

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

9/4/2019 Eric Sogard 2B Nose Probable for Sep 5
8/31/2019 Tyler Glasnow SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 7
8/30/2019 Yandy Diaz 3B Foot Out for the season
8/28/2019 Jose Alvarado RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 17
8/25/2019 Yonny Chirinos SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
8/25/2019 Blake Snell SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 19
8/23/2019 Brandon Lowe 2B Quadriceps Out for the season
4/2/2019 Jose Mujica SP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Blue Jays have a 55-85 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Clay Buchholz has a 1-3 record with an earned run average of 5.45 and a WHIP of 1.35 this season. He has 18 strikeouts over his 36.1 innings pitched and he's given up 38 hits. He's allowed 9.4 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.28. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.35 and they have given up 568 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the bullpen and they've struck out 621 hitters and walked 279 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.3 batters per nine innings. They are 20th in the league in team earned run average at 4.73. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 1,243 base hits and 651 earned runs. They have allowed 194 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 532 batters and struck out 1,139. They have walked 3.9 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.43 and their FIP as a unit is 4.83.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .235, good for 30th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .424 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 30th in MLB with 8.0 hits per game. Justin Smoak is hitting .212 with an on-base percentage of .350. He has 79 hits this season in 372 at bats with 55 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .409 and an OPS+ of 103. Randal Grichuk is hitting .232 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .284. He has totaled 117 hits and he has driven in 62 men in 505 at bats. His OPS+ is 89 while his slugging percentage is at .434. The Blue Jays have 1,114 hits, including 230 doubles and 211 home runs. Toronto has walked 436 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,276 times as a unit. They have left 854 men on base and have a team OPS of .726. They score 4.41 runs per contest and have scored a total of 617 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 82-59 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.55, Brendan McKay has a 2-3 record and a 1.49 WHIP. He has 41 strikeouts over the 35.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 41 hits. He's allowing 10.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.84. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.80 and they have given up 582 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 686 batters and walked 231 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. They are 2nd in the league in team earned run average at 3.63. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,117 base knocks and 517 earned runs this season. They have given up 159 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 395 hitters and struck out 1,388 batters. They give up a walk 2.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.18 while their FIP as a staff is 3.70.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .253, good for 13th in the league. The Rays hold a .429 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 14th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Tommy Pham comes into this matchup batting .280 with an OBP of .380. He has 138 hits this year along with 61 RBI in 493 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .467 with an OPS+ of 125. Austin Meadows is hitting .280 this season and he has an OBP of .348. He has collected 127 hits in 453 at bats while driving in 73 runs. He has an OPS+ of 132 and a slugging percentage of .539. The Rays as a unit have 1,240 base hits, including 252 doubles and 187 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 471 times this year and they have struck out on 1,287 occasions. They have had 996 men left on base and have an OPS of .754. They have scored 4.67 runs per game and totaled 659 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Rays (-190)

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