Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 8/21/2020 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Friday, August 21, 2020

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: SUN/RSN

Odds/Point Spread: Blue Jays (+155) Rays (-168)

Vladimir Guerrero Jr and the Toronto Blue Jays (10-11, 4th in AL East) travel to Tropicana Field on Friday where they'll meet the Tampa Bay Rays (16-9, 2nd in AL East). The Blue Jays open this game at +155 while the Rays are coming in at -168. The total opens at 8.5. The starting pitchers are Matt Shoemaker and Ryan Yarbrough.

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

8/19/2020 Rowdy Tellez DH Head Probable for Aug 20
8/19/2020 Nate Pearson SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 4
8/18/2020 Trent Thornton SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 20
8/18/2020 Derek Fisher RF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 25
8/17/2020 Bo Bichette SS Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
8/16/2020 Yennsy Diaz RP Lat Expected to be out until at least Aug 26
8/4/2020 Elvis Luciano RP Undisclosed Expected to be out until at least Aug 24
7/28/2020 Ken Giles RP Forearm Expected to be out until at least Sep 1

Key Tampa Bay Rays Injuries

8/19/2020 Yonny Chirinos SP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
8/19/2020 Jose Alvarado RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 31
8/16/2020 Oliver Drake RP Biceps Expected to be out until at least Aug 24
8/16/2020 Charlie Morton SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Aug 22
8/13/2020 Andrew Kittredge RP Elbow Out for the season
7/21/2020 Colin Poche RP Elbow Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Blue Jays have a 10-11 overall record this season. Shoemaker (43-33 career win-loss record) is the owner of a FIP of 4.06 and he has gone up against 2,446 batters in the major leagues. His ERA is 3.86 (255 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.182. He has given up 558 base hits (8.5 hits per 9 innings) and has 144 walks. Shoemaker has taken the mound for 594 innings and has earned 533 punchouts during his MLB career. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.29 and they have given up 74 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .184 against the bullpen and they've struck out 109 hitters and walked 49 batters. As a team, Toronto allows 7.4 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.3 batters per nine innings. They are 6th in the league in team earned run average at 3.88. The Blue Jays pitchers collectively have given up 155 base hits and 81 earned runs. They have allowed 26 home runs this season, ranking them 24th in the league. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 92 batters and struck out 194. They have walked 4.4 men per 9 innings while striking out 9.3 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.31 and their FIP as a unit is 4.36.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team Toronto is hitting .245, good for 14th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .445 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .305, which is good for 24th in baseball. They rank 11th in MLB with 8.5 hits per game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr is hitting .222 with an on-base percentage of .292. He has 18 hits this season in 81 at bats with 6 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .383 and an OPS+ of 82. Travis Shaw is hitting .250 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .328. He has totaled 13 hits and he has driven in 7 men in 52 at bats. His OPS+ is 108 while his slugging percentage is at .442. The Blue Jays have 179 hits, including 30 doubles and 38 home runs. Toronto has walked 62 times so far this season and they have struck out 180 times as a unit. They have left 137 men on base and have a team OPS of .750. They score 4.48 runs per contest and have scored a total of 94 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Tampa Bay has a 16-9 overall mark this year. Yarbrough (27-14 mark in his career) has earned a 4.03 ERA while conceding 8.2 hits per 9 innings. He has a SO/W ratio of 3.38 and he has faced 1,296 opposing hitters during his career. So far in his MLB career, Yarbrough has conceded 284 base hits while earning 260 K's in 313 innings. He has given up a total of 140 ER's while holding a WHIP of 1.153 and being the owner of a FIP of 4.0. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.98 and they have given up 119 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .232 against the Rays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 134 batters and walked 40 opposing hitters. As a team, Tampa Bay allows 9 hits per nine innings while striking out 9.8 batters per nine innings. They are 13th in the league in team earned run average at 4.13. The Rays pitchers as a team have surrendered 217 base knocks and 100 earned runs this season. They have given up 31 home runs this year, which ranks 14th in Major League Baseball. Tampa Bay as a staff has walked 77 hitters and struck out 238 batters. They give up a walk 3.2 times per 9 innings while they strike out 9.8 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.35 while their FIP as a staff is 4.08.

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Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .248, good for 12th in the league. The Rays hold a .441 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .336, which is good for 5th in baseball. They rank 14th in MLB with 8.2 hits per contest. Kevin Kiermaier comes into this matchup batting .235 with an OBP of .325. He has 16 hits this year along with 9 RBI in 68 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .338 with an OPS+ of 87. Willy Adames is hitting .293 this season and he has an OBP of .376. He has collected 22 hits in 75 at bats while driving in 8 runs. He has an OPS+ of 144 and a slugging percentage of .507. The Rays as a unit have 204 base hits, including 50 doubles and 31 homers. Tampa Bay has walked 105 times this year and they have struck out on 239 occasions. They have had 163 men left on base and have an OPS of .776. They have scored 5.24 runs per game and totaled 131 runs this season.

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

Guy's Pick: Take the Blue Jays (+155)

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