Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction & Best Bets (May 25)

Thursday, May 25’s MLB schedule kicks off early in the afternoon as the Toronto Blue Jays and Tampa Bay Rays are set to play the finale of their four-game series. The Blue Jays vs Rays series has gone in the home team’s favor thus far, meaning Toronto must win today to split the encounter with its AL East rival.

pic.twitter.com/rJt7vKK9J4

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) May 25, 2023

After being obliterated Tuesday night, the Rays exacted some revenge with a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays less than 24 hours ago. Tampa Bay never trailed once in the matchup as AL Cy Young candidate Shane McClanahan struck out seven batters while allowing one run off our hits over seven innings. Shortstop Wander Franco led the offensive charge with three hits and two RBIs in four at-bats.

Can the Rays further cement their spot atop the AL East with another victory? Or will the Blue Jays send a message by splitting the series?

Here’s a look at everything you know heading into tonight’s Blue Jays vs Rays showdown, from the latest betting odds to a prediction with the best betting recommendation, courtesy of Betting News.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Game Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Toronto Blue Jays (26-24, 13-15 Away) vs. Tampa Bay Rays (36-15, 23-5 Home)
• Venue & Location: Tropicana Field (St. Petersburg, Florida)
• Date: Thursday, May 25, 2023
• Game Time: 1:10 p.m. Eastern Time
• Blue Jays vs Rays TV Info: MLB.TV, SportsNet

Blue Jays vs Rays Game Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, May 25 at 8:16 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 (-164)
• Tampa Bay Rays -1.5 (+136)

Over/Under

• Over 8.5 Runs (-114)
• Under 8.5 Runs (-106)

Moneyline

• Toronto Blue Jays +126
• Tampa Bay Rays -148

Blue Jays vs Rays Starting Pitchers

• Blue Jays: Alek Manoah (10 starts — 1-4, 5.15 ERA)
• Rays: Zach Eflin (8 starts —6-1, 3.45 ERA)

Blue Jays vs Rays Betting Trends

• Toronto is 2-12 straight up in its last 14 games against the AL East.
• Tampa Bay is 8-0 straight up in their last eight home games played on a Thursday.
• The total has hit the over in six of Toronto’s last seven road games.
• The total has hit the over in six of Tampa Bay’s last eight home games.
• The total has hit the over in six of the last seven Toronto-Tampa Bay matchups at Tropicana Field.

Blue Jays vs Rays Game Preview

After inspiring their fans with Tuesday’s 20-1 blowout, the Blue Jays were brought back down to earth last night. Canada’s club has now lost six of its past seven outings, dropping to 2-13 in its last 15 AL games in the process.

The loss further highlighted the Blue Jays’ struggles against their own division. They’re an underwhelming 6-14 against the AL East so far, whereas the Rays are at least 12-8 against their division rivals. Furthermore, Tampa Bay has won eight of its 10 home games against the AL East.

The Blue Jays simply haven’t done well at keeping their opponents’ runs to a minimum. The opposition has tallied at least six runs against them in five of their last six games, which isn’t inspiriting considering how the Rays rank first in batting average (.271), second in runs per game (5.96), and third in hits per game (9.18) across the Majors.

There’s a good chance that Tampa will continue that success as Alek Manoah takes the mound for Toronto. After being an AL Cy Young finalist in 2022, Manoah has struggled to begin the new campaign, going 1-4 with a 5.15 ERA in 10 starts.

He’s also been credited with the loss in three of his past four outings, giving up 13 walks, 15 runs, and 24 hits over his last 19 1/3 innings.

Alek Manoah walked a career-high seven batters in 4+ innings on the mound tonight pic.twitter.com/FXZz9saNuX

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 16, 2023

Meanwhile, it’ll be interesting to see how the Blue Jays deal with Zach Eflin. On one hand, the Tampa Bay starting pitcher is an impressive 6-1 with a 3.45 ERA over eight starts.

On the other hand, while he’s won two of his last three appearances, he’s allowed five home runs with a 5.21 ERA over that stretch.

Still, even with Eflin’s struggles, the Rays have more than enough talent to beat any team in the league — especially at Tropicana Field. They’re a whopping 23-5 at home this season and have won five of their past seven matchups in St. Petersburg.

Although the Blue Jays are talented, they own a losing road record (13-15), which drops to 3-7 when an AL East club is involved. Trends are meant to be broken, but it’s hard having much faith when Toronto is playing as poorly as it has over the last few weeks.

With the way things are going, it’s looking more and more as if Tuesday’s curb stomping was a fluke. Unless the Blue Jays put their AL East struggles behind them, the Rays are in a good spot to continue riding the ‘Success Express.’

Blue Jays vs Rays Game Prediction and Picks

Blue Jays vs Rays Prediction: Rays 6, Jays 4

Blue Jays vs Rays: Rays ML (Best Value: -148 at BetOnline) & Rays to Score Over 4.5 Runs (Best Value: -104 at BetOnline)

The Blue Jays are better than they’ve been playing, but I’m siding with the MLB’s No. 1 club winning this afternoon. The Rays have been near-perfect at home and have the pitching advantage today. Toronto’s AL East struggles can’t be ignored and until it fully puts them in the rearview, it won’t be able to overcome a team like Tampa Bay.

For another solid Blue Jays vs Rays bet, I’m taking the over on Tampa Bay’s 4.5-run total. After all, it’s a number that the Rays have surpassed in nine of their past 13 outings. The Blue Jays have also given up at least five runs in five of their last six games, too.

With opponents hitting the over on this prop in each of Manoah’s most recent four starts, I trust the Rays’ elite offense to put up at least five runs today.

Other Toronto vs Tampa Bay Resources

• Blue Jays vs Rays Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats

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