Saturday’s Rays vs. Jays Prediction 7/2/22

Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays
Date: Saturday, July 2nd, 12:07 ET
Location: Rogers Centre
TV: Bally Sports Sun
Money Line: Rays +113 / Blue Jays -135 (Get the best lines >>>)<
Total Line: 7.5

STARTING PITCHING

Tampa Bay: Shane McClanahan (8-3, 1.77)
Toronto: Kevin Gausman (6-6, 2.93)

Rays Projected Lineup

Francisco Mejía C
Taylor Walls 2B
Josh Lowe CF
Isaac Paredes 1B
Yandy Díaz 3B
Brett Phillips RF
Randy Arozarena LF
Ji-Man Choi 1B
Wander Franco SS
Shane McClanahan P

Blue Jays Projected Lineup

Matt Chapman 3B
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. LF
Teoscar Hernández RF
Santiago Espinal 2B
Gabriel Moreno C
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 1B
Alejandro Kirk C
George Springer RF
Bo Bichette SS
Kevin Gausman P

STRAIGHT UP/ OVER/UNDER / RUN LINE RECORDS

Tampa Bay Rays: 40-36-0 SU / OU 33-38-5 / Run Line W/L 34-42-0
Toronto Blue Jays: 44-33-0 SU / OU 42-34-1 / Run Line W/L 35-42-0

The Toronto Blue Jays host the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday, July 2nd at Rogers Centre. The first pitch in this matchup is scheduled for 12:07 ET. The MLB Odds Board places Toronto as the favorite (-135), with an OU line set at 7.5.

Recent Form

The Rays are hoping to get back on track after falling to the Blue Jays by a score of 9-2. In the loss, Tampa Bay’s pitchers gave up 9 runs on 11 hits. With their 9 hits, the Rays could only muster 2 runs. The loss came as Tampa Bay was the betting underdog, getting 125.0 on the moneyline. With the over-under line set at 9.0 runs, the Rays and Blue Jays combined to go over this total. The Rays now have an over-under record of 33-38-5.

In their last 5 games, the Rays are below .500, at 1-4. This mark has come on an average run margin of just -12. Tampa Bay’s offense is in the middle of a cold streak, as their offensive production has dipped to just 2.6 runs per game over their last 5 contests. Tampa Bay’s overall series record is just 11-12-2.

The Toronto Blue Jays are coming off a big win over the Rays by a score of 9-2. In the winning effort, the team’s pitchers held the Rays to 2 runs and 9 hits. Offensively, they finished with 9 runs on 11 hits. In the game, Toronto was able to take care of business as they were the favorite at -145.0. For the season, the team has been favored in 60 games, winning at a rate of 60.0%. The Blue Jays and Rays went over the run total line set at 9.0 runs. Overall, the team has gone over the betting line in over half of their games, going 42-34-1.

Across their last 5 contests, the Blue Jays are above .500, going 4-1. During this time, the team’s run differential sits at +15. Overall, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.81 runs per contest. But, over their last 5 outings, they have been scoring at a clip of 6.2 runs per contest. On the season, Toronto has won more than half of their series, going 14-8-3.

Pitching Matchup

The Tampa Bay Rays will send Shane McClanahan to the mound with an overall record of 8-3. Through 15 appearances, McClanahan has an ERA of just 1.77 while averaging 6.07 innings per appearance. Hits have been hard to come by against the left-hander, as his batting average allowed is just 0.183. McClanahan is giving up home runs at a rate similar to the league average, allowing 1.09 per 9 innings. Per game, Shane McClanahan is averaging 8.2, on a strikeout percentage of 36.0%. Throughout the season, McClanahan has avoided walking batters, allowing just 1.58 per contest.

The Toronto Blue Jays will send Kevin Gausman to the mound with an overall record of 6-6. Through 15 appearances, Gausman has an ERA of just 2.93 while averaging 5.73 innings per appearance. So far, opposing teams have hit the ball well against the right-hander, posting a batting average allowed of 0.269. Throughout the season, Gausman has done a good job at limiting home runs, allowing 0.21 per 9 innings. In terms of strikeouts, Kevin Gausman has a strong K% of 27.0%, including a per game average of 6.47. Gausman has done a good job at limiting walks, averaging just 1.57 per contest.

Tampa Bay vs Toronto History

Today’s matchup between the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays will be their 6th meeting of the season. Currently, Toronto is winning the season series 3-2. The over-under record in this series sits at 1-3. The average run total in these games is 8.37 runs per game. The averge scoring margin in these meetings is 4.0 runs. Last season, Tampa Bay picked up the series win, 11 games to 8. In these 19 meetings, the two teams combined for an over-under record of 6-11. Last year, the Rays and Blue Jays averaged 8.37 runs per game. The average scoring differential in this series was 3.53 runs per game.

More Picks: Get our White Sox vs. Giants Betting predictions for 7/2/22 >>>

Betting Trends

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games when playing Toronto
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 5 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games when playing Tampa Bay
• The total has gone OVER in 14 of Toronto’s last 17 games

Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays Prediction

Heading into Saturday’s AL East matchup, the Blue Jays are the slight favorite to pick up the win. However, look for Tampa Bay to come out on top, as I expect lefty Shane McClanahan to add another strong outing to his impressive resume. Across 5 starts in the month of June, McClanahan gave up a total of just 5 earned runs. I like the Rays on the moneyline.

Free MLB Pick: Tampa Bay Moneyline. Bet your Rays vs. Blue Jays pick and ALL your MLB wagers for FREE this week by taking advantage of a 100% real cash bonus on your first deposit of $100 to $300 when you use bonus code PREDICT100 at MyBookie Sportsbook!