Friday, September 2, 2016

Tropicana Field

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: Francisco Liriano vs. Alex Cobb

The Toronto Blue Jays visit Tropicana Field on Friday to play the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable starters are Francisco Liriano for the Blue Jays and Alex Cobb for the Rays. The opening line for this matchup has Toronto at -148 and Tampa Bay at +138. The over/under was set at 8.5. The Blue Jays have a 53-74-6 over/under record and a 71-62-0 run line mark, meaning they cover 53% of the time. The Rays are 59-73-0 against the run line and have a 63-62-7 over/under record. They cover the spread 45% of the time.

The Blue Jays head into this matchup with a 76-57 record, including 36-29 on the road. Starting pitcher Francisco Liriano has a 7-12 record with an earned run average of 5.22 and a WHIP of 1.58. He has 139 strikeouts over his 136.1 innings pitched and he has given up 136 hits so far this season. He has allowed 9 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.14. The bullpen this year has an earned run average of 3.95 and they have given up 363 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .249 against the bullpen while being struck out 373 times and walking 106 times this season. As a team, Toronto has allowed 8.3 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.01 batters per nine. They are 5th in the league in team earned run average at 3.79. The Blue Jays pitchers have collectively given up 1,110 base hits and 505 earned runs. They have allowed 152 home runs this season and they allow 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 367 batters and struck out 1,071. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit is 4.04.

As a team, Toronto is batting .250, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .235 average away from home. The Blue Jays hold a .440 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .329 which is good for 6th in baseball. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.53 hits per game. Josh Donaldson comes into this game hitting .296 and his on-base percentage is at .407. He has 144 hits this season along with 106 runs scored and 92 runs batted in. He's struck out 94 times and has walked 86 times. Edwin Encarnacion is hitting .265 and he has an on-base percentage of .357. He has totaled 130 hits so far while scoring 83 runs and he's driven in 106. He has walked 69 times and has struck out 116 times. The Blue Jays have 1,135 hits, including 235 doubles and 196 home runs. They've stolen 41 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 19 times. Toronto has walked 495 times this season and they've struck out 1,122 times as a unit. They've left 892 men on base and have a team OPS of .768. They score 4.91 runs per contest and have scored a total of 653 runs so far this year.

Tampa Bay comes into this matchup with a 32-37 home record and a 56-76 overall mark. Alex Cobb will be making his season debut for the Rays. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 4.16 and they have given up 396 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .257 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 372 times and walking 144 times this season. As a team, Tampa Bay has allowed 8.79 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.7 batters per nine. They are 15th in the league in team earned run average at 4.15. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,136 base knocks and 536 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 170 home runs this year and they give up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 392 hitters and struck out 1,125. They give up a walk 3 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.7 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.31 while their FIP as a staff is 4.19.

As a team, they are batting .243, good for 27th in the league while putting together a .234 average at home. The Rays hold a .427 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .310 which is good for 27th in baseball. They rank 26th in baseball with 8.21 hits per contest. Evan Longoria comes into this matchup batting .285 and he has an OBP of .334. He has 146 hits this year along with 69 runs scored and 83 RBI. He's struck out 120 times and has walked on 39 occasions. Logan Forsythe is hitting .273 and he has an OBP of .340. He has collected 108 hits so far while he's scored 61 runs and drove in 46. He has earned a walk 35 times and has punched out 94 times. The Rays as a unit have 1,084 base hits, including 236 doubles and 176 homers. They have 48 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 32 times. Tampa Bay as a team has walked 384 times this year and they have struck out 1,191 times. They've had 865 men left on base and have an OPS of .737. They score 4.2 runs per game and have totaled 555 runs so far this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 53-74-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 71-62-0 against the run line so far this season

Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays are 63-62-7 against the over/under so far this season

The Tampa Bay Rays are 59-73-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

06/27/16 P Gavin Floyd Shoulder 60-day DL (6/26)

Tampa Bay Rays

08/28/16 P Blake Snell Foot "?" for next scheduled start
08/07/16 LF Desmond Jennings Knee 15-day DL (8/3); out for season
08/07/16 P Enny Romero Back 15-day DL (8/4)

Josh's Pick: Take the Blue Jays

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