The Tampa Bay Rays funk is officially in the rearview mirror. The Rays took the opener of their series with American League East rivals the Toronto Blue Jays and extended their winning streak to five games in the process.
Tampa will now go for the series win but will be in tough against the resurgent Ross Stripling. Does he give MLB betting value to Toronto, or are you safe to back the streaking favorite at this price? Check out our free picks and predictions for Blue Jays vs. Rays on Saturday, July 10.
Blue Jays vs Rays game info
• Location: Tropicana Field, Tampa, FL
• Date: Saturday, July 10, 2021
• Time: 1:10 p.m. ET
• TV: BSSUN, SN1
Blue Jays vs Rays odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Compare MLB odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
MLB sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonPointsBet USA opened Tampa Bay -120 late Friday night and spent this morning bouncing between -120 and -125, and the price is -120 as of 12:30 p.m. ET. The Rays are attracting 67 percent of bets and 87 percent of cash on the moneyline. The total opened at 8.5 (Under -120) and is now up to 9 (Under -120), with ticket count and money running 4/1 on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameBlue Jays vs Rays betting preview
Starting pitchers
Ross Stripling (3-4, 4.06 ERA): Stripling had a 7.20 ERA through his first six starts of the season and it looked like he was going to lose his spot in the Blue Jays rotation. Then he made a slight tweak to his delivery, and he has been a completely different pitcher. In the eight games since, he has a 2.35 ERA.
Ryan Yarbrough (5-3, 4.34 ERA): Yarbrough continues to put in solid work this season. The Rays lefty has put together consecutive strong outings allowing three runs on 10 hits over his last 11 innings of work. Yarbrough has also had the Blue Jays number, pitching to a 2.16 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP in three games against them this season.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Blue Jays: Ryan Borucki RP (Out), Julian Merryweather RP (Out), Alejandro Kirk C (Out), Tyler Chatwood RP (Out), Corey Dickerson LF (Out).
Rays: Mike Brosseau 2B (Out), Manuel Margot RF (Out), Ryan Thompson RP (Out), Nick Anderson RP (Out), Oliver Drake RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Under is 4-0 in Ross Stripling’s last four starts overall. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Rays.
Moneyline pick
Things were looking a little tenuous in Tampa Bay for a little while there. They had lost their ace to injury, lost 12 of 16 ball games, and dropped out of first place in the AL East. But a five-game winning streak seems to have righted the ship as the Rays trail the Red Sox by just 2.5 for the division lead.
The Rays will look to keep rolling but will be in tough against Stripling. The right-hander’s adjustments to his delivery have been a game-changer. Stripling is pitching to a 2.35 ERA, a 0.91 WHIP, and is limiting opponents to a .177 batting average since May 24.
But, as good as Stripling has been, he will at some point have to hand the ball to a shaky Jays bullpen. The Rays are also plating 6.6 runs per game during their five-game winning streak and have taken seven of 11 games against the Blue Jays this season.
On top of that, the usually potent Blue Jays lineup has been mostly flightless when facing Yarbrough, hitting just .169 and scoring just four runs in 16 2-3 innings against him. At this low price, the value is with the streaking favorite.
PREDICTION: Rays (-115)
Over/Under pick
When it comes to the total, the early money appears to have come in on the Under and we have to say we’re leaning that way as well. For starters, we’ve already mentioned the Jays just can’t solve Yarbrough and then will have to face a bullpen that ranks third in ERA and second in WHIP.
Second, this hot streak for Stripling has included two dominant appearances against the Rays. Stripling has allowed one earned run on four hits over 12 2-3 innings of work against Tampa over that span. While the Rays always seem to get that timely hit, they still rank 23rd in batting average and strike out a ton. Bet this one to sneak Under the number.
PREDICTION: Under 8.5 (-110)
Blue Jays vs Rays betting card
- Rays (-115)
- Under 8.5 (-110)
Picks made on 7/10/2021 at 1:00 a.m. ET
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