Rays vs. Blue Jays (September 15): Will the Rays ride returning McClanahan to an important win?

The Tampa Bay Rays have not had a great visit to Toronto, but they can mitigate the damage with a win over the Blue Jays in this afternoon’s finale.

The Blue Jays (81-62) have already wrapped up the series win with three wins in the first four games and have moved a game and a half clear of the Rays (79-63) in the standings.

With the Baltimore Orioles (75-67) still within striking distance in the AL wild-card standings with plenty of baseball left, Tampa Bay will not want to lose this game.

Toronto is favored to put even more distance between themselves and Tampa Bay today with Kevin Gausman on the mound. But the visitors are getting a very timely boost for the finale, as Shane McClanahan will be returning to action today following a stint on the IL.

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Tampa Bay Rays (79-63, 32-39 away, 3rd in the AL East) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (81-62, 41-30 home, 2nd in the AL East)
• Venue & Location: Rogers Centre (Toronto, Canada)
• Date: Thursday, September 15, 2022
• Game Time: 3:07 p.m. Eastern Time

Rays vs. Blue Jays Pitching Matchup

• Tampa Bay: LHP Shane McClanahan (2022: 24 starts, 11-5, 2.20 ERA)
• Toronto: RHP Kevin Gausman (2022: 27 starts, 12-9, 3.31 ERA)

Rays vs. Blue Jays Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. This article may also mention odds from our other recommended legal sportsbooks.

Moneyline

• Tampa Bay Rays +124
• Toronto Blue Jays -146

Over/Under

• Over 7 (-120)
• Under 7 (-102)

Run Line

• Tampa Bay Rays +1.5 (-184)
• Toronto Blue Jays -1.5 (+152)

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Toronto Blue Jays Prediction and Betting Picks

Rays vs. Blue Jays Prediction: Tampa Bay to win

Rays vs. Blue Jays Picks: Tampa Bay ML (Best Value: +124 at BetOnline) & Tampa Bay team total over 3 runs (Best Value: -122 at BetOnline)

Among the 12 teams currently occupying postseason spots, Tampa Bay is the only team with a losing road record.

After this series, the Rays close their regular season home slate with ten straight games at Tropicana Field. But they need to go into that homestand on a high not after losing five of their last six games.

McClanahan’s ERA (2.13 vs. 2.23) and OBA (.156 vs. .199) are better on the road than at home. In his lone start against the Blue Jays this season, he pitched a gem at Rogers Centre on June 2. In a 6-2 win, he allowed one run, three hits, and one walk and struck out ten in seven innings.

His return is a big boost, but production at the plate is imperative. Thus far in this series, the Rays have scored just nine runs.

Will they step up today? Gausman is 4-0 across his last five starts, but home is where his biggest struggles have been.

He did allow just two runs and five hits and struck out nine against the Cubs in his most recent home start on August 30, but he has a 4.48 ERA and a .317 OBA in 13 home starts.

Gausman also has a .310 OBA in 11 daytime starts, compared to a .254 OBA in 16 nighttime starts. So, while the Rays don’t hit well against righties, this is a fairly favorable matchup.

I’m certainly not bitter that Gausman has burned me a time or two in his home starts, but his shakiness in the not-so-friendly confines makes Tampa Bay a high-value play with McClanahan back in action.

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