Blue Jays vs Rays Odds, Picks, and Betting Lines (Sep. 22)
- The Tampa Bay Rays are slight -115 home favorites over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday, September 22
- The Blue Jays have won four of the past six meetings with the Rays
- The Rays hold a 14-7 edge over the past 21 games played at Tropicana Field
As they close out a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays (84-66, 41-35 away) on Wednesday afternoon, the Tampa Bay Rays (98-58, 48-28 home) find themselves in the unique position of being an influencer.
Leaders and virtual certainties to win the AL East, it’s the three teams below them in the division – the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, and Boston Red Sox – who are battling it out for the two AL Wild Card positions.
Tampa Bay will close out the regular season with three games at Yankee Stadium. The Rays are poised to have a significant say in which AL teams make the playoffs.
The oddsmakers say that Tampa Bay will put a dent in Toronto’s hopes on Wednesday. The Rays are -115 home favorites over the Blue Jays, who are slight -105 underdogs. Toronto has won six straight as a road dog.
Blue Jays vs Rays Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | -105 | -1.5 (+160) | O 9 (-110) |
| Tampa Bay Rays | -115 | +1.5 (-190) | U 9 (-110) |
Odds as of September 21st at DraftKings.
Game time Wednesday afternoon is 3:10pm ET. The weather forecast is calling for a chance of thunderstorms, 8 mph wind, and a game-time temperature of 88 degrees – not that it will matter much inside the climate-controlled dome of Tropicana Field.
Stripling vs Patino
| 5-6 | Record | 4-3 |
| 4.50 | ERA | 4.73 |
| 4.69 | xERA | 4.47 |
| 1.24 | WHIP | 1.35 |
| 3.24 | SO/W Ratio | 2.46 |
Right-hander Stripling has made 22 appearances this season, 19 of which have been starts. However, this will be his first start since August 10. He’s 1-3 with a 4.83 ERA in 10 road appearances.
In two relief stints since being removed from the rotation, Stripling has struggled. In 4.2 innings, he allowed seven hits, three of them home runs, and four earned runs.
Charlie Montoyo said Ryu's start on Wednesday will likely be a bullpen day, but listed Ross Stripling as the potential starter. He's not fully built up so he'll likely be capped somewhere around 4 innings or so #BlueJays
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) September 19, 2021
Over his career, Stripling is 0-1 with a 2.01 ERA in six appearances against the Rays.
The Rays counter with right-hander Luis Patino. He’s won his last two decisions but is without a decision in three September starts. Tampa Bay is 0-3 in those games. He’s allowed eight earned runs over his last 13 innings.
Excellent effort by Luis Patiño to keep the Rays in the game. He is so talented, touched 98 three times tonight. So excited to watch him develop over the years pic.twitter.com/HLqRT2Ocyn
— Rays Metrics (@RaysMetrics) August 11, 2021
He’s faced Toronto twice this season and the Rays lost both games. Taking the loss in an 11-1 setback on July 2, Patino surrendered seven runs, five earned, over 5.1 innings.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Rays Batters | Batting Average vs Stripling | Blue Jays Batters | Batting Average vs ??????? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randy Arozarena | .000 | Bo Bichette | .250 |
| Ji-Man Choi | .333 | Corey Dickerson | .000 |
| Nelson Cruz | .000 | Jarrod Dyson | .000 |
| Yandy Diaz | .000 | Randal Grichuk | .000 |
| Kevin Kiermaier | .286 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr | .250 |
| Brandon Lowe | .375 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr | .333 |
| Jordan Luplow | .000 | Teoscar Hernandez | .333 |
| Manuel Margot | .368 | Danny Jansen | .000 |
| Austin Meadows | .125 | Alejandro Kirk | .000 |
| Francisco Mejia | .250 | Jake Lamb | .333 |
| Brett Phillips | .000 | Reese McGuire | .500 |
| Taylor Walls | .000 | Marcus Semien | .000 |
| Joey Wendle | .333 | George Springer | .250 |
| Mike Zunino | .200 | Breyvic Valera | — |
Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe is 3-for-8 (.375) with two home runs and three RBI when facing Stripling. Outfielder Manuel Margot is 7-for-19 (.386) with three solo homers. Third baseman Joey Wendle is 2-for-6 (.333) and first baseman Ji-Man Choi is 1-for-3 (.333). Catcher Mike Zunino is just 1-for-5 (.200) but the hit was a solo homer.
BRANDON LOWE GOES YARD
— Dillard Barnhart (@BarnHasSpoken2) September 15, 2021
Jays outfielder George Springer is just 1-for-4 against Patino but he’s homered with two RBI. Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr is 1-for-3 (.333) with an RBI. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez and infielder Jake Lamb are also both 1-for-3. Catcher Reese McGuire is 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Blue Jays vs Rays Pick
Stripling steps into the rotation for staff ace Hyun Jin Ryu. Ryu was placed on the 10-day IL with neck tightness. In his two starts prior to his IL designation, Ryu allowed 12 runs and 13 hits over 4.1 innings pitched.
Stripling has faced the Rays three times this season, twice as a starter. He’s 0-1 with a 2.76 ERA. Stripling took the loss in a 5-2 setback on July 10. He allowed four earned runs and three home runs over 3.2 innings. Tampa Bay has touched him for four homers in 16.1 innings.
Toronto is 20-7 over the last 27 games and 10-2 against teams with winning records. The Jays need this win more than the Rays do. It’s as simple as that.
Pick: Toronto Blue Jays (-105).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
