MLB Predictions: Blue Jays vs Rays Lines
The Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays will play the third game in a four-game set at Tropicana Field on Wednesday. The teams split the first two games in the series, with Tampa Bay claiming a 9-2 victory on Monday, and Toronto answering back with a 4-2 win on Tuesday.
Toronto Blue Jays (1-1) at Tampa Bay Rays (1-1)
Date: Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Time: 7:10 PM ET
Venue: Tropicana Field
City: St. Petersburg, Florida
O/U Odds: 7.5
Money Line: Tampa Bay -163, Toronto +150
Pitching Matchup: LH Mark Buehrle (12-10, 4.15 ERA) at LH Matt Moore (17-4, 3.29 ERA)
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MLB Matchup Stats | MLB ATS Insider Preview
Making the trip out to Tampa Bay hasn’t been a favorable trek for the Blue Jays in recent years. Since April 2007, the Blue Jays haven’t won a series at Tropicana Field, going 0-19-1 in that time span.
Wednesday’s starter, Mark Buehrle, didn’t enjoy facing the Rays all that much last year either. He went 0-2 with a 5.76 ERA in four starts against his new AL East foe in 2013.
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Conversely, his opponent on this day, Matt Moore, won all three of his starts against the Blue Jays in 2013, going 3-0 with a 3.31 ERA in those starts. However, a closer look shows that he had a fair bit of luck on his side in those outings. The Blue Jays hit .254 against Moore in those contests, the second-highest rate amongst teams he faced multiple times a year ago, behind only the Orioles.
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Moore also walked 13 batters in 16 1/3 innings of work, posting a 1.78 WHIP in those contests. He also failed to last more than six innings in any of those starts. In his final start of the year against the Blue Jays on Sept. 29, Moore surrendered three runs on six hits, walking three in 5 1/3 innings of work, but did get the win in a 7-6 victory.
Edwin Encarnacion in particular has had success against Moore over the course of his career. In 17 plate appearances against Moore, he’s 3-for-9 with a home run and three RBIs, but he’s also walked a whopping eight times, good for an OBP of .647.
Moore did start last season very strong, posting an 8-0 record with a 2.18 ERA in his first 11 starts of the year. His year did not end quite as well, as he went 0-1 with a 9.95 ERA in two postseason appearances against the Boston Red Sox.
One Blue Jay who has had some success at Tropicana Field is Melky Cabrera, who has also enjoyed success against Moore. Cabrera is 3 for 7 with a double against Moore, and is hitting .394 in his last 16 games at Tropicana Field.
Runs shouldn’t be too hard to come by when these teams face off on Tuesday. Moore is due for a regression against the Blue Jays, while Buehrle has a 6.67 ERA in his last five starts against the Rays.
The over is 7-1 in Tampa Bay’s last eight games against divisional opponents, and it is 4-1 in the last five meetings between these teams.
The play: Over 7.5
