Wednesday, September 30, 2020, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida, 4:07 p.m. ET
Blue Jays at Rays Betting Preview: Blue Jays (+124), Rays (-142)
Toronto Blue Jays
The eighth-seeded Blue Jays look to left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu to pay dividends on the four-year, $80 million contract he signed in the offseason when he takes the mound for Game 2 of the best-of-three American League wild-card series. Last season’s National League ERA leader recorded a pair of no-decisions versus Tampa Bay in 2020 en route to a 5-2 record with a 2.69 ERA in 12 appearances for the Blue Jays, who won nine of those starts.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had a single and a double to account for two of Toronto’s five hits in a 3-1 setback in the series opener on Tuesday. Gurriel has collected 10 hits in his past five contests overall, although he is just 1-for-4 in a small sample size against Tampa Bay’s Wednesday starter, Tyler Glasnow.
Rowdy Tellez, who was added to the wild-card roster, had a one-out pinch single in the eighth inning and came around to score on a sacrifice fly for the lone run of the Blue Jays. The inconsistent offense and 12 strikeouts — nine against Blake Snell — were not a welcome sight for the Blue Jays, who erupted for 56 runs in their previous eight games.
Tampa Bay Rays
The top-seeded Rays aim to punch their ticket to AL Division Series in San Diego should they bring out the brooms in the abbreviated series. Manuel Margot belted a two-run shot among his two hits in the opener on Tuesday to match his homer total accumulated over 47 regular-season games.
While the offense managed just four hits, Tampa Bay once again received stellar pitching. The Rays, whose 3.56 ERA ranked third in the majors during the regular season, held the opposition to two runs or fewer for the 22nd time in 2020.
Glasnow (5-1, 4.08 ERA) won his last three starts to enter Wednesday’s contest with some momentum, although the hard-throwing right-hander owns an 0-2 record with a 7.71 ERA in two career postseason starts. Glasnow, 27, did not face Toronto this season. He sports an 0-2 mark with a 6.17 ERA in six career meetings against the Blue Jays.
Blue Jays at Rays Betting Pick for September 30, 2020
It’s difficult to bet against Tampa Bay at this juncture in the sports world. The NHL’s Lightning just won the second Stanley Cup in franchise history and the Buccaneers have an inordinate amount of buzz around them since the arrival of six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.
As for the Rays, they’ll continue to ride their proven formula of dominant pitching and just enough offense into the ALDS.
Blue Jays at Rays Betting Pick:
Rays 3, Blue Jays 1
Blue Jays at Rays Best Bet for September 30, 2020
The Blue Jays are making their first playoff appearance since 2016, but their stay could be a short one if their bats fail to wake up. Unfortunately for Toronto, Tampa Bay’s pitchers have put many teams to sleep in 2020.
Blue Jays at Rays Best Bet: RAYS win by at least 1.5 runs (+136)
–Field Level Media
