Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Betting Odds, AI Picks and Analysis

The 2024 MLB regular season is here and two powerhouses in last season will face each other today. The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Florida to take on the Tampa Bay Rays. This Rays vs Blue Jays matchup is the first of a four-game series in late March. Let’s see the Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction.
The Blue Jays will be looking to build on last year’s playoff appearance when they take on the Rays today. Toronto’s overall record last season was 89-73, which was good for 5th in the American League and 3rd in the AL East.
When playing at home, the Blue Jays went 43-38 compared to 46-35 on the road. In terms of series records, Toronto went 30-19-2 overall, with a mark of 14-10-1 in home series and 16-9-1 in road series.
As the underdog last season, the Blue Jays went 23-19, and they are currently listed as +113 underdogs for today’s game. Last year’s team went 66-54 when favored.
In the playoffs, Toronto was swept by the Twins in the Wild Card round, losing both games. Today’s game is a night game, and last year’s team went 50-46 in night games.
The Blue Jays finished last season with an average run differential of +0.5 runs per game. Their overall run line record was 74-88, including a mark of 33-48 at home and 41-40 on the road. In games they covered the run line, their average scoring margin was +4.0 runs per contest compared to -2.5 runs per game in games they did not cover the run line. Toronto was the favorite in 74.1% of their games, going 46-74 vs. the run line.
When looking at last year’s over/under record for the Blue Jays, they finished 71-84, and their average over/under line was 8.7 runs. In games where the O/U line was 7.5, the over/under record was 8-6. Last season, 88.3% of their games had higher O/U lines than 7.5, and their games averaged a combined 8.7 runs per contest. In terms of their run production, they accounted for 52.6% of the runs in their games.
Tampa wants to start good this season
The Rays are coming off a season in which they went 99-63, which was good for 2nd place in the American League and the AL East based on last year’s MLB standings. In the playoffs, they were swept by the Rangers in the Wild Card round.
At home, Tampa Bay went 53-28 last season, and their overall series record was 31-14-6. In night games, the Rays were 56-36, compared to 43-27 in day games.
As the favorite, Tampa Bay went 86-45 last season, while they were 13-18 as the underdog. In the AL-East, their division record was 31-21.
Today, the Rays are favored at -133 on the moneyline, and they are coming off a season in which they went 50-26 as the home favorite.
At home last season, the Rays had a run line record of 41-40, compared to 45-36 on the road. Overall, their average scoring margin was +1.2 runs per game. In games they won, their scoring margin was +4.0 runs per game, compared to -3.2 runs per game in losses. Last season, they were favored in 80.9% of their games, going 66-65 vs. the run line as the favorite.
When looking at last year’s over/under record, the Rays finished with a mark of 89-69. Their games averaged a combined 9.4 runs per contest, and their average over/under line for the season was 8.3 runs. In games with an over/under line of 7.5 runs, the over/under record was 19-10. For the season, 63.6% of their games finished with more runs than 7.5 runs.
Game Information
TORONTO BLUE JAYS vs TAMPA BAY RAYS |
Location of the Game: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida |
Date and Time: Thursday, March 28th 4:10 ET |
Reason: 2024 MLB Regular Season |
How to watch: watchlivesports.co |
AI Predictions and Sport Betting AI Picks
These are the MLB Computer Picks for this MLB Schedule game:
TEAM | PITCHER | 2023 RECORD | AI PICKS | Sport Betting AI PICKS | |||
BLUE JAYS | J. BERRIOS | 89-73 | 4 | 9 | RUN LINE TOR +1.5 |
MONEYLINE TB -133 |
TOTAL OVER 7.5 |
RAYS | Z. EFLIN | 99-63 | 5 |
- AI Picks: Tampa Bay Rays 5 – Toronto Blue Jays 4
- Sport Betting AI Picks: Run Line Blue Jays +1.5 -199 | ML Rays -133 | OVER 7.5 RUNS
Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction Odds
Next, we have the MLB odds for this MLB Matchup.
Toronto Blue Jays Game Analysis
Last season, José Berríos made 32 starts and went 11-12 with a 3.65 ERA. His WHIP for the season was 1.19, and he allowed a batting average of .236. Berríos made 15 quality starts and finished the season with a record of 2-0 against the Rays. His ERA in those two starts was 0.44. For the season, Berríos allowed a total of 25 home runs and averaged 8.73 strikeouts per nine innings. His walks per nine innings average was 2.47, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 3.5.
Last season, the Blue Jays were 14th in the league in runs per game at 4.6. On the road, they were 7th in the league in runs per game at 5.0. Overall, they were 15th in home runs with 188. In terms of batting average, they were 7th in the league at .256. For the season, they were 7th in strikeouts and 9th in walks, according to the MLB team stats.
The Blue Jays will be looking for big things from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer this season. Guerrero hit 26 home runs and drove in 94 runs last season, while Springer hit 21 home runs and batted .258. Bo Bichette is back after leading the team in hits last season, and Justin Turner is the team’s top off-season addition after hitting 23 home runs for the Red Sox last season.
Tampa Bay Rays Game Analysis
Zach Eflin is coming off a season in which he made 31 starts and went 16-8. His ERA for the season was 3.50, and he finished the year with a WHIP of 1.02. Eflin allowed a total of 19 home runs and averaged 9.42 strikeouts per nine innings. His walks per nine innings were 1.22, and he averaged 0.8 walks per game. For the season, Eflin made 17 quality starts and finished the year with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 7.8, according to the MLB player stats.
Last season, the Rays were one of the best offenses in the league, averaging 5.3 runs per game (4th). They were also one of the top teams in terms of batting average (.260, 3rd) and had the 4th fewest strikeouts. On the road, they were even better, averaging 5.4 runs per game (5th). Overall, they were 5th in home runs and had a WOBA of .364 (4th).
The Rays will look to Isaac Paredes to be their top power hitter this season after he hit 31 home runs and drove in 98 runs last year. Jose Siri is also back after hitting 25 home runs and batting .222. Yandy Diaz is the team’s top returning hitter after batting .330 and driving in 78 runs. Amed Rosario is a new addition to the lineup after hitting .263 with 6 home runs for the Dodgers last season.
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