Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, 3/28/2024 MLB Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays

Date: Thursday, March 28, 2024

Location: Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL

TV: Sportsnet

Odds/Point Spread: Toronto (-110) Tampa Bay (-110)

Tropicana Field is the location where the Tampa Bay Rays (99-63 last season) will compete against the Toronto Blue Jays (89-73 last year) on Thursday. The moneyline on this contest has the Blue Jays at -110 while the Rays are coming in at -110. The betting total is set at 7.5. The pitchers expected to start will be Jose Berrios and Zach Eflin.

As a squad, the Toronto Blue Jays notched 4.6 runs per contest, which put them at 15th in the league. They earned 746 runs while holding a team on-base percentage of .329. The Blue Jays accumulated 292 doubles as a team and knocked 188 baseballs out of the park. They recorded 706 runs batted in in addition to 1,424 base knocks in the prior season, while their team batting average sat at .256. Toronto had a slugging rate of .417 and were called out on strikes 1,303 times, while being walked on 550 occasions.

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The Blue Jays held a team earned run average of 3.78 in the prior season (4th in the league), and their staff struck out 1,528 hitters. Blue Jays pitchers allowed 198 home runs and 671 runs (6th in baseball). Their pitching staff walked 488 opposing hitters and their FIP finished at 4.06 as a squad over the course of last season. Toronto surrendered 1,326 base hits (8.2 per 9 innings) in addition to 610 earned runs. They had a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.13 and the pitching staff had a collective WHIP of 1.25.

Blue Jays bullpen pitchers entered the contest with runners on 166 times and also had 192 contests in high leverage situations. The relief pitchers recorded 106 holds last year (2nd in baseball). The Blue Jays relievers recorded a save rate of 73.9% and entered the game in 175 save situations. They had 51 saves in the previous season and blew 18 out of their 69 save opportunities. The relief pitchers inherited 236 base runners for the prior year with 22.9% of those runners earned a run for their team. The Blue Jays had dispatched 550 relief pitchers to the mound during the previous year.

The Blue Jays turned 69.3% of balls in play into outs out of their 13,065 innings on the diamond, ranking them 16th in the majors. The Toronto Blue Jays notched a total of 4,355 putouts last season, as well as 1,307 assists and 71 errors. Their fielding percentage held steady at .988 which had them ranked 6th in the majors, and had a total of 125 double plays.

Berrios has taken the hill for 1,213 frames and has earned 1,190 K's during his career. His earned run average is 4.15 (559 ER's allowed) and he has a WHIP of 1.244. He has conceded 1,146 base knocks (8.5 hits per 9 innings) and has 363 walks. Berrios (83-66 career record) is the owner of a FIP of 4.04 while he has faced 5,123 hitters in the major leagues.

The Tampa Bay Rays had an on-base percentage of .331 and a team batting average of .260 in the prior season. They struck out on 1,420 occasions (13th in MLB) and accounted for 1,432 base hits. Tampa Bay had a total of 230 HRs in the prior season in addition to 827 runs batted in. The Rays held a team slugging % of .445 and they were recording 5.31 runs per game (4th in the league). They hit 282 two-baggers, while walking 514 times and recording 860 runs.

The Rays had a team WHIP of 1.178 in addition to having a FIP of 3.81 as a team in the prior season. Their K/BB ratio sat at 9.40 (1,507 strikeouts against 439 walks). They were sitting at 2nd in baseball as a staff in total hits allowed with 1,259. They conceded 177 homers and they conceded 4.15 runs per 9 innings (5th in MLB). The Tampa Bay pitching staff yielded 665 runs in the previous season while holding a team ERA of 3.86 (619 earned runs yielded).

Finishing with 155 save situations, the Rays earned 78 holds in addition to 31 blown saves. Tampa Bay had relief pitchers enter the contest in 76 save opportunities and they walked away with 45 saves. Their relief pitchers took the field 163 times in high leverage situations and on 121 occasions with base runners. Tampa Bay relief pitchers had an inherited score percentage of 28.4% of 183 inherited base runners. They ranked 20th in baseball with a save rate of 59.2%, and they dispatched 536 relievers to the hill last year.

In their 12,978 innings played, the Rays earned a defensive efficiency of 70.3% (5th in baseball). The Tampa Bay Rays turned 114 double plays and earned a fielding percentage of .987 (9th in the majors). The Rays had 1,401 assists, 74 errors and accumulated 4,326 putouts over the course of last season.

In his MLB career, Eflin has surrendered 852 base hits while accumulating 738 punch outs in 837 frames. He has conceded a total of 398 earned runs while holding a WHIP of 1.238 and a FIP of 4.1. He has a strikeout to walk ratio of 4.01 and he has faced 3,508 opposing batters in his career. Eflin (52-53 record in his career) holds a 4.28 ERA and has surrendered 9.2 hits per 9 innings.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Tampa Bay (-110)

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