Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays Prediction, 9/30/2023 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays

Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023

Location: Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON

TV: Sportsnet

Odds/Point Spread: Tampa Bay (+122) Toronto (-145)

The Toronto Blue Jays (88-71) will compete against the Tampa Bay Rays (97-62) at Rogers Centre on Saturday. The moneyline on this contest has Tampa Bay at +122 and Toronto is coming in at -145. The total has been set at 7.5. The pitchers taking the mound are Zack Littell and Yusei Kikuchi.

Tampa Bay is slugging .443 and have been called out on strikes 1,396 times, while drawing a walk on 504 occasions. They have amassed 805 runs batted in and 1,395 base knocks for the year, while their batting average is sitting at .259. The Rays have earned 272 doubles as a squad and have smacked 225 baseballs out of the park. They are sitting with 837 runs and have an on-base percentage of .330. As a unit, the Tampa Bay Rays are notching 5.3 runs per game, which is 4th in baseball.

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They have a K/BB ratio of 3.47 and the pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.17. Rays pitchers have allowed 172 home runs and 641 runs (2nd in the league). Tampa Bay has surrendered 1,223 hits (7.8 per 9 innings) and 600 earned runs. The Rays hold a team earned run average of 3.82 on the season (5th in baseball), and their staff has struck out 1,483 hitters. Their pitching staff has walked 427 opposing batters and their FIP is 3.77 as a team this season.

Rays relief pitchers have gone to the mound with opponents on base 119 times and also have had 160 appearances in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers have 78 holds this season (22nd in the league). The Rays relievers have accumulated a save rate of 59.2% and has entered the game in 155 save situations. They have tallied 45 saves over the course of the season and have missed out on 31 out of their 76 save opportunities. The relief pitchers have inherited 179 runners on the year with 29.1% of those players crossed home plate. The Rays have dispatched 523 relievers to the mound over the course of the season.

The Rays have converted 70.5% of balls hit into play into outs out of 12,735 innings on the field, ranking them 4th in baseball. The Tampa Bay Rays have accounted for 4,245 putouts so far this season, as well as 1,378 assists and 69 errors. Their fielding rate is at .988 which has them sitting 6th in professional baseball, and have accumulated 113 double plays.

Littell has taken the hill for 258 frames and is sitting with 224 strikeouts in his career. His earned run average is 4.01 (115 ER's allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.262. He has given up 256 hits (8.9 hits per 9 innings) and has 70 walks. Littell (16-11 career mark) has earned a FIP of 4.43 while he has gone up against 1,089 opposing batters during his time in the majors.

Toronto has knocked in 183 HRs for the season as well as 685 RBIs. They have recorded 284 doubles, while getting a free base 538 times and earning 722 runs. The Toronto Blue Jays are sitting with a team OBP of .328 as well as a team batting average of .255 on the campaign. The Blue Jays hold a slugging percentage of .414 and they have an average of 4.54 runs per contest (16th in the league). They have been called out on strikes on 1,279 occasions (24th in baseball) and have 1,388 base knocks.

The Blue Jays have a WHIP of 1.242 and have a FIP of 4.04 as a pitching staff over the course of the season. They are sitting at 8th in the league as a staff in total hits relinquished with 1,289. The Toronto pitching staff have conceded 648 runs this year and come in with a team ERA of 3.72 (588 earned runs conceded). They currently have a strikeout to walk ratio of 9.50 (1,504 strikeouts vs 478 bases on balls). They have given up 193 dingers and they concede 4.10 runs per 9 innings (4th in baseball).

With 175 save situations, the Blue Jays have earned 106 holds in addition to 18 blown saves. Toronto has called on relievers to step onto the hill in 69 save chances and they have converted 51 saves. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the mound 189 times in high leverage situations and on 165 occasions with runners on base. Toronto relievers hold an inherited score rate of 22.6% out of their 235 inherited runners. They are ranked 1st in MLB with a save rate of 73.9%, and they have sent 536 relievers to the mound on the season.

The Toronto Blue Jays have gotten 122 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .988 (7th in professional baseball). The Blue Jays have recorded 1,283 assists, 70 errors and have accumulated 4,271 putouts on the season. In their 12,813 innings on the field, the Blue Jays hold a defensive efficiency of 69.5% (12th in MLB).

In his MLB career, Kikuchi has conceded 634 hits while earning 627 strikeouts in 629 frames. Kikuchi (31-37 career mark) has earned a 4.71 ERA while giving up 9.1 hits per nine innings. He has given up 329 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.383 and having a FIP of 4.8. He has a K/BB ratio of 2.66 and he has gone up against 2,715 hitters so far in his MLB career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread or moneyline?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Toronto (-145)

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