Rays vs. Blue Jays Friday MLB probable pitchers, odds: Tampa Bay turns to Drew Rasmussen eyeing record 14-game winning streak to open season

Despite operating on the third-smallest payroll in the major leagues, the Tampa Bay Rays can make modern-era MLB history Friday night when they open a series at AL East rival Toronto by winning a 14th straight game to open the season. The Rays actually opened as slight underdogs at Caesars Sportsbook behind Drew Rasmussen but now are -130 favorites, so it doesn't appear Tampa Bay will close as an underdog for the first time in 2023.

The Rays trailed the Red Sox 3-1 entering the bottom of the fifth inning Thursday at Tropicana Field but scored seven in that inning en route to a 9-3 victory. The win tied the 1982 Braves and '87 Brewers for the longest winning streak to start a season in MLB's modern era. Neither of those clubs reached the World Series, and the Rays still are only +600 third favorites for the title behind the Astros (+300) and Yankees (+350). The only team to win more games in a row at the outset of a season was the 1884 St. Louis Maroons, who went 20-0. The Wild Card Era record winning streak to open a season was nine games, by the 2003 Royals.

The 13-game winning streak marks a Rays franchise record. Almost impossibly, the Rays have won all but two of the 13 by at least four runs – they are 12-1 on the runline – and have outscored opponents 101-30 with the most runs scored in the majors and the fewest allowed. Tampa Bay has more homers (an MLB-best 32) than runs allowed. Its +71 run differential is the largest by any team through the first 13 games of a season since those 1884 Maroons.

(If you were wondering, there were six separate winning streaks of at least nine games overall in 2022, including the Mariners and Braves both winning 14 in a row.)

We do want to caution that Tampa's wins have come over four teams that may well finish last in their respective divisions in Detroit, Washington, Oakland and Boston. This will be the second road series so far after the Rays swept three in D.C. from April 3-5.

Rasmussen is yet another pitcher whose career has been completely changed by the Rays. His first two seasons in the majors, he was a middling reliever in Milwaukee. Now he's one of the AL's best starters and off to a 2-0 start with zero runs allowed and just three hits allowed over 13.0 innings. Rasmussen is 1-3 with a 2.33 ERA over eight career appearances against Toronto and 0-1 with a 5.19 ERA in two starts at Rogers Centre.

He might catch a break on Friday -- AL MVP candidate Matt Chapman missed Thursday's home loss for the Jays with a non-COVID illness but the team is hopeful he can return. Chapman is batting .489 with three homers, 15 RBI and 10 runs scored.

Toronto counters with Jose Berrios, who has been brutal at 0-2 with an 11.17 ERA. Those were both on the road, however, and Berrios had issues outside of Rogers Centre last year with a 6.36 ERA in 16 starts.  At home, he was 7-2 with a 4.24 ERA. Berrios was 1-1 with a 6.08 ERA in three 2022 starts vs. Tampa Bay. 

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