Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 4/23/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Friday, April 23, 2021

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: Bally Sports Sun

Odds/Point Spread: Toronto (+140) Tampa Bay (-150)

Tyler Glasnow and the Tampa Bay Rays (10-9, 2nd in AL East) host the Toronto Blue Jays (8-10, 4th in AL East) at Tropicana Field on Friday. The Rays open this contest at -150 while the Blue Jays are coming in at +140. The O/U is set at 7. The expected starting pitchers are Steven Matz and Tyler Glasnow.

As a squad, the Toronto Blue Jays are notching 4.1 runs per contest, which puts them at 19th in the league. They have notched a total of 74 runs scored and have an on-base percentage of .301. The Blue Jays have compiled 18 two-baggers as a squad and have knocked 21 baseballs out of the park. They have 68 runs batted in in addition to 135 base knocks so far this season, and their team batting average is .228. Toronto is slugging .369 and have struck out 159 times, while taking a walk on 54 occasions.

The Blue Jays have compiled a team ERA of 3.15 over the course of the season (5th in the league), and they have struck out 143 batters. Their strikeout to walk ratio is 2.70 and their pitching staff has recorded a WHIP of 1.23. Blue Jays pitchers have conceded 19 home runs and also 64 runs in total (6th in the league). They have walked 53 opposing batters and their FIP comes in at 3.96 as a team on the campaign.

The Blue Jays relief pitchers have earned a save percentage of 80.0% and stepped onto the hill in 13 save situations. The relief pitchers have inherited 27 runners on the campaign and 37.0% of them ended up crossing the plate. Blue Jays pitchers have come into the game with opponents on base 21 times as well as having 25 appearances in high leverage situations. The Blue Jays have sent 62 relief pitchers to the hill this season. The relievers are sitting with 6 holds this season (24th in MLB). They have recorded 4 saves on the season and have blown 1 out of their 5 save opportunities.

The Blue Jays have turned 70.4% of baseballs in play into outs in their 1,392 innings on the diamond, which ranks them 12th in MLB. The Toronto Blue Jays have accounted for 464 putouts thus far, in addition to 177 assists and 10 errors. Their fielding rate is at .985 which puts them in 10th in pro baseball, and have 121 double plays.

Matz (34-41 career mark) holds a FIP of 4.44 while he has gone up against 2,549 opposing hitters in the major leagues. He has given up 594 base hits (8.9 hits per 9 innings) and has had 186 free passes. His ERA is 4.26 (283 ER's allowed) and his WHIP is 1.304. Matz has pitched in 598 innings and has totaled 570 punch outs in his pro baseball career.

The Rays hold a team slugging percentage of .398 and they tally 4.95 runs per outing (5th in baseball). They have notched 38 doubles, while getting a free base 70 times and scoring 94 runs. Tampa Bay has accounted for 21 long balls over the course of the season as well as 87 RBIs. They have struck out on 189 instances (3rd in the league) and have earned a total of 154 base hits. The Tampa Bay Rays are sitting with an on-base percentage of .318 and a team batting average of .237 for the year.

The Rays hold a team WHIP of 1.232 with a FIP of 3.69 as a staff on the season. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 3.13 (169 strikeouts vs 54 free passes). They are currently ranked 27th in the league as a pitching staff in total hits given up with 158. They have given up 20 home runs and they allow 5.12 runs per 9 innings (25th in MLB). The Tampa Bay pitching staff have conceded 98 runs over the course of the season while holding an ERA of 4.60 (88 earned runs surrendered).

Tampa Bay has called on bullpen pitchers to enter the contest in 12 save opportunities and they have tallied 6 saves. They are currently ranked 21st in baseball with a save rate of 50.0%, and they have dispatched 62 relievers onto the diamond over the course of the season. Their relievers have come in 32 times in high leverage situations in addition to 21 occasions with runners on base. Tampa Bay relief pitchers hold an inherited score rate of 26.9% out of 26 inherited runners. Sitting with 28 save situations, the Rays have tallied 16 holds in addition to 6 blown saves.

In their 1,551 innings on the diamond, the Rays have a defensive efficiency of 69.3% (19th in pro baseball). The Tampa Bay Rays have turned 19 double plays and have a fielding rate of .989 (4th in pro baseball). The Rays have recorded 172 assists, 8 errors and have a total of 517 putouts during this campaign.

So far in his career, Glasnow has given up 284 base knocks while he has accumulated 419 strikeouts in 339 innings pitched. He has allowed 157 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 1.287 and a FIP of 3.9. His strikeout to walk ratio is 2.74 and he has gone up against 1,436 hitters in his career. Glasnow (17-18 career mark) holds a 4.16 ERA while giving up 7.5 hits per 9 innings.

Who will win tonight's MLB game ATS?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (-150)

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