Rays vs Blue Jays Picks & Odds – Aug 14

• The Tampa Bay Rays are -131 favorites as they bring a six-game winning streak to Toronto to face the Blue Jays
• Tampa Bay took two of three from Toronto to open the season.
• Will the Rays continue to roll? See the odds and best bets for Friday, Aug. 14

The Tampa Bay Rays  are rolling as they roll into Toronto to play a three-game weekend series against the Blue Jays in Buffalo.

The Rays are on a six-game winning streak. Tampa Bay swept a four-game series from the Boston Red Sox after taking three of four from the New York Yankees, including the last two of the set.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, are settling into familiar, uncomfortable patterns after a decent start. Toronto is 6-9 overall.

The Jays have dropped seven of their last 10 games. They’ll complete a five-game homestand in their home away from home against Florida opposition. The Jays and Miami Marlins split a pair of games.

Visiting Tampa Bay are the -131 favorites in the Rays vs Blue Jays odds to keep on winning and buffalo Toronto on Friday.

Rays vs Blue Jays August 14 Odds

Odds as of Aug. 14.

Toronto is the +118 underdog. The Jays are 7-5 against the spread as an underdog this season.

Buffalo Soldiers

When the Blue Jays faced the Marlins at Sahlen Field on Tuesday, there was a sense of symmetry to Toronto’s presence as a home team in Buffalo. For decades, the route has worked in the opposite direction.

For a few years in the 1970s, the NBA’s Buffalo Braves, today’s Los Angeles Clippers, played a select number of home games at Toronto’s Maple Leaf Gardens.

The first @MLB game in Buffalo in 105 YEARS 😳

PLAY BALL! ⚾️ pic.twitter.com/gkmVqNIGyp

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) August 11, 2020

The NFL’s Buffalo Bills used to play an annual game at Rogers Centre, normally the home field for the Blue Jays.

Tuesday marked the first occasion in 105 years that an MLB game was played in Buffalo. This season will mark the first time since 1968 that no MLB games will be played in Canada.

Mr Roark Is Plain

You could say as Tanner Roark goes, so goes his team. Toronto’s starting pitcher for Friday’s game, Roark is 1-3 over his last four decisions. Roark’s teams are 1-4 over his last five starts.

He’s 1-1 in 2020, his first campaign as a Blue Jay but the picture for this pitcher has been pretty inconsistent. In his last start, a 5-3 loss to the Red Sox, Roark struggled to find the plate. He walked five batters in three innings.

Rays Career Stats vs Roark

Of the 68 pitches he delivered in that games, 37 were balls. The BoSox also touched him for a pair of home runs.

Tanner Roark's pitch chart is…… erratic. pic.twitter.com/95acOTOHPH

— Chris Black (@DownToBlack) August 8, 2020

However, in his season debut against the defending World Series champion Washington Nationals, Roark was virtually flawless. He didn’t issue a single free pass in five innings of work during a 5-1 victory.

Roark three 73 pitches and 47 were strikes. The Nats could only muster three hits and one earned run off of him.

Pitching Poor

It’s a good thing for the Rays that an organizational strength is pitching depth. It’s certainly being given a test this season.

Currently, 40% of the team’s starting rotation is on the 10-day injured list in Charlie Morton and Yonny Chirinos. Relievers Oliver Drake, Andrew Kittredge and Colin Poche also on the IL. The latter two are out for the season.

Blue Jays Career Stats vs Richards

Trevor Richards will make his first start of the season on Friday. Working out of the bullpen, he’s posted a 5.79 ERA in three appearances covering 9.1 innings.

Offense certainly isn’t an issue. The Rays scored 42 runs during their four-game sweep of the Red Sox at Fenway Park. That’s a franchise record for runs scored in one series.

Pick: Tampa Bay Rays (-131)