Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction 05-22-2023 MLB Picks

The Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays meet in an AL East division matchup in MLB action from Tropicana Field on Monday. Let’s dive into the odds, starting pitching matchup, history and make a prediction for this game.

Odds

Tampa Bay is a -125 home favorite while Toronto is a +105 road underdog. The total for this game is set at 8.5 runs.

Starting Pitching Matchup

Chris Bassitt will start for Toronto here and is 5-2 with a 3.05 ERA and 48 strikeouts this season. Tampa Bay will start Trevor Kelley as an opener and is 0-1 with a 7.50 ERA and 2 strikeouts this season.

Matchup History

Tampa Bay’s 8-1 win back on April 16, 2023, snapped Toronto’s four-game win streak in this head-to-head matchup.

Trends

Toronto is 1-10 in their last 11 division games and 1-4 in their last 5 games following a loss while the over is 7-2 in their last 9 road games. Tampa Bay is 7-2 in their last 9 home games against a team with a winning record and 34-14 in their last 48 games overall while the over is 8-2 in their last 10 games overall.

Pick

I’m backing the Jays here. It’s not often that I’ll go against Tampa Bay against a righty, but the fact here is that Bassitt’s pitching out of his mind right now and while I’m not sure how long it’ll be sustainable for, the fact is that Tampa’s bullpen isn’t as intimidating as it once was and I think that we’re going to start to be able to get value on the other side. I’ll side with Toronto and the plus money here.