Thursday, April 6, 2017

Tropicana Field

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Marcus Stroman vs. Blake Snell

The Toronto Blue Jays visit Tropicana Field on Thursday, April 6, 2017 to play the Tampa Bay Rays. The probable starters are Marcus Stroman for the Blue Jays and Blake Snell for the Rays.

The opening line for this matchup has Toronto at -130 and Tampa Bay at +120. The Blue Jays had a 63-93-6 over/under record and a 79-83-0 run line mark last season, meaning they covered 49% of the time. The Rays were 76-86-0 against the run line and had a 78-75-9 over/under record. They covered the spread 47% of the time.

Valuable Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays were 63-93-6 against the over/under last season

The Toronto Blue Jays were 79-83-0 against the run line last season

Important Tampa Bay Rays Betting Trends

The Tampa Bay Rays were 78-75-9 against the over/under last season

The Tampa Bay Rays were 76-86-0 against the run line last season

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

04/03/17 CF Dalton Pompey Concussion 10-day DL (3/30)
04/03/17 P Glenn Sparkman Thumb 10-day DL (3/30)
04/02/17 P Bo Schultz Elbow 10-day DL (3/30)
04/02/17 P Roberto Osuna Neck 10-day DL (4/1)

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

04/03/17 P Brad Boxberge Arm 10-day DL (4/1)
04/01/17 LF Colby Rasmus Hip 10-day DL (4/1)
04/01/17 3B Matt Duffy Heel 10-day DL (4/1)
04/01/17 P Nathan Eovaldi Elbow 60-day DL (3/8)
04/01/17 C Wilson Ramos Knee 60-day DL (4/1)

Useful Pitching Statistics

Starting pitcher Marcus Stroman had a 9-10 record with an earned run average of 4.37 and a WHIP of 1.29. He had 166 strikeouts over his 204 innings pitched and he gave up 209 hits last season. He allowed 9.2 hits per 9 innings and he had a FIP of 3.71. The bullpen last year had an earned run average of 4.11 and they gave up 452 base hits on the year. Teams hit .249 against the bullpen while being struck out 472 times and walking 136 times last season. As a team, Toronto allowed 8.26 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. They were 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.78. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively gave up 1,340 base hits and 613 earned runs. They allowed 183 home runs last season and they allowed 1.1 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff walked 461 batters and struck out 1,314. They walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 8.1 per 9. They had a team WHIP of 1.23 and their FIP as a unit was 4.05.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto batted .248, good for 23rd in the league while putting together a .236 average away from home. The Blue Jays held a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .330 which was good for 6th in baseball. They ranked 24th in baseball with 8.38 hits per game. Justin Smoak is coming off a 2016 season in which he hit .217 with an on-base percentage of .314. He had 65 hits last season along with 33 runs scored and 34 runs batted in. He struck out 112 times and walked 40 times. Josh Donaldson hit .284 last year and he had an on-base percentage of .404. He totaled 164 hits while scoring 122 runs and he drove in 99. He walked 109 times and struck out on 119 occasions. The Blue Jays had 1,358 hits, including 276 doubles and 221 home runs. They stole 54 bases and were thrown out stealing 24 times. Toronto walked 632 times last season and they struck out 1,362 times as a unit. They left 1,120 men on base and had a team OPS of .755. They scored 4.69 runs per contest and scored a total of 759 runs last year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

With an earned run average of 3.54, Blake Snell had a 6-8 record and a 1.62 WHIP last season. He had 98 strikeouts over the 89 innings he pitched during which he gave up 93 hits. He allowed 9.4 hits per nine innings and his FIP stood at 3.39. Last season the bullpen had an earned run average of 4.09 and they gave up 491 base hits on the year. Teams hit .250 against the Rays bullpen while being struck out 470 times and walking 201 times last season. As a team, Tampa Bay allowed 8.8 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.56 batters per nine innings. They were 16th in the league in team earned run average at 4.20. The Rays pitchers as a team surrendered 1,395 base knocks and 665 earned runs last season. They gave up 210 home runs last year and they gave up 1.3 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Tampa Bay as a staff walked 491 hitters and struck out 1,357. They gave up a walk 3.1 times per 9 innings while they struck out 8.6 per 9. Their team WHIP was 1.32 while their FIP as a staff was 4.26.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they batted .243, good for 28th in the league while putting together a .234 average at home. The Rays held a .426 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .307 which was good for 27th in baseball. They ranked 27th in baseball with 8.23 hits per contest. Logan Morrison comes into this matchup after batting .238 with an OBP of .319. He had 84 hits last year along with 45 runs scored and 43 RBI. He struck out 89 times and walked on 37 occasions. Evan Longoria hit .273 in 2016 and he had an OBP of .318. He collected 173 hits while scoring 81 runs and driving in 98. He earned a walk 42 times and punched out 144 times. The Rays as a unit had 1,333 base hits, including 288 doubles and 216 homers. They had 60 stolen bases and were thrown out 37 times. Tampa Bay as a team walked 449 times last year and they struck out 1,482 times. They had 1,060 men left on base and had an OPS of .733. They scored 4.15 runs per game and totaled 672 runs last season.

Who will win tonight's Blue Jays/Rays MLB game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Rays +120

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