Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays Expert MLB Picks 9/8/2019

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Jacob Waguespack vs. Tyler Glasnow

Austin Meadows and the Tampa Bay Rays (84-59, 2nd in AL East) play the Toronto Blue Jays (55-87, 4th in AL East) at Tropicana Field on Sunday, September 8, 2019. The Rays open this matchup at -230 while the Blue Jays are priced at +212. The O/U has been set at 8.

The Blue Jays have been decent for Vegas oddsmakers, having gone 55-87-0 SU. The Rays are covering 58.7% of the time, going 84-59-0 straight up.

Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Blue Jays have been an inconsistent Under play for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 64-72-6.

Toronto is covering 38.4% of the time as a visitor, having gone 28-45-0 straight up.

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Rays are covering 56.2% of the time at Tropicana Field, going 41-32-0 SU.

The Rays have been an inconsistent Under play for over/under MLB wagerers, having gone 68-67-8.

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Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

9/5/2019 Lourdes Gurriel LF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 7
9/1/2019 Luke Maile C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
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

9/6/2019 Tommy Pham LF Forearm Probable for Sep 7
9/6/2019 Yonny Chirinos SP Finger Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
9/6/2019 Tyler Glasnow SP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 8
9/6/2019 Eric Sogard 2B Foot Expected to be out until at least Sep 8
9/5/2019 Travis d'Arnaud C Neck Probable for Sep 7
9/5/2019 Jose Alvarado RP Elbow Out for the season
8/30/2019 Yandy Diaz 3B Foot Out for the season
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 55-87 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Jacob Waguespack has a 4-3 record with an earned run average of 3.97 and a WHIP of 1.27 this season. He has 46 strikeouts over his 59 innings pitched and he's given up 53 hits. He's allowed 8.1 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.74. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.35 and they have given up 575 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .242 against the bullpen and they've struck out 626 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 4.72. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 1,261 base hits and 658 earned runs. They have allowed 196 home runs this season, ranking them 15th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 535 batters and struck out 1,151. They have walked 3.8 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 .234, good for 30th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .423 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .302, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 30th in MLB with 7.9 hits per game. Randal Grichuk is hitting .230 with an on-base percentage of .282. He has 118 hits this season in 513 at bats with 62 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .433 and an OPS+ of 88. Justin Smoak is hitting .211 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .349. He has totaled 79 hits and he has driven in 55 men in 375 at bats. His OPS+ is 102 while his slugging percentage is at .405. The Blue Jays have 1,124 hits, including 231 doubles and 213 home runs. Toronto has walked 441 times so far this season and they have struck out 1,301 times as a unit. They have left 865 men on base and have a team OPS of .724. They score 4.37 runs per contest and have scored a total of 621 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 84-59 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 1.86, Tyler Glasnow has a 6-1 record and a 0.91 WHIP. He has 55 strikeouts over the 48.1 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 35 hits. He's allowing 6.5 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.3. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.79 and they have given up 587 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .231 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 700 batters and walked 235 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 7.8 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 3.61. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,127 base knocks and 521 earned runs this season. They have given up 161 home runs this year, which ranks 30th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 400 hitters and struck out 1,413 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 3.68.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .254, good for 13th in the league. The Rays hold a .430 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .325, which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 12th in MLB with 8.8 hits per contest. Austin Meadows comes into this matchup batting .286 with an OBP of .354. He has 132 hits this year along with 76 RBI in 461 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .551 with an OPS+ of 136. Tommy Pham is hitting .280 this season and he has an OBP of .379. He has collected 139 hits in 497 at bats while driving in 61 runs. He has an OPS+ of 125 and a slugging percentage of .467. The Rays as a unit have 1,258 base hits, including 259 doubles and 189 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 474 times this year and they have struck out on 1,299 occasions. They have had 1,008 men left on base and have an OPS of .756. They have scored 4.69 runs per game and totaled 670 runs this season.

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

Josh's Pick: Take the Rays (-230)

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