Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 05/25/2023

Game Time: 1:10 pm ET, Thursday, May 25, 2023

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +115, Rays -135; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  26-23 (5th place, AL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  35-15 (1st place, AL East)

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Toronto Blue Jays:  3-7 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  5-5 last 10

The Blue Jays are entering this game off of a win in their last game but did get swept 3-0 in a 3-game series by the Baltimore Orioles in their last series. They enter this game with a 26-23 record overall and have a road record of 13-14. This is the series finale of a 4-game series with the Rays on Thursday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .755 OPS. Yusei Kikuchi is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Alek Manoah is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 1-4 with a 5.15 ERA this season. His team lost their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 ER, 1 HR, and 1 BB with 5 Ks on 6 hits through 5.2 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Rays are entering this game off of a loss in their last game but won their 3-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 35-15 record overall and have a home record of 22-5. This is the 4th game of a 4-game series with the Blue Jays on Thursday with the 3rd game of the series still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 1st in the MLB with a .845 OPS. Shane McClanahan is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Zach Eflin is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 6-1 with a 3.45 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 3 earned runs, 2 homers, and 0 BB with 8 strikeouts on 4 hits through 7 innings played against the Milwaukee Brewers.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays enter this game as the team with the best record in the MLB and the best home record. They were embarrassed in their Tuesday night game as they gave up 20 runs against the Blue Jays but they will be coming for revenge the rest of this series. They will be motivated to get this win over the Blue Jays since they play in a really tough division but they also have an advantage in the pitching department. The Rays have a much better bullpen than the Blue Jays do as they have been giving up less runs all season but the Rays have also found a lot of success with Eflin on the mound who is starting in this game. Meanwhile, the Jays have struggled to win games this year with Manoah on the mound as he was so good for 2 seasons since he came into the league but now he is starting to regress. The Rays also have the best offense in the MLB right now so they can definitely keep up with the Blue Jays bats and they will be trying to gain some ground in the AL East here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game.

Blue Jays Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, May 25, 2023 (1:10 pm ET start time) is Rays 8 Blue Jays 4.

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Toronto Blue Jays: 6-13 (-12.2 units) on the moneyline against division opponents. 8-13 (-10.2 units) on the moneyline in May games. 12-5 OVER on the road when the total is 8.5 to 10. 6-3 OVER as a road underdog of +100 to +150.

Tampa Bay Rays: 35-15 (+16.4 units) on the moneyline in all games. 22-5 (+15 units) on the moneyline in home games. 23-15 OVER as a favorite of -110 or higher. 21-11 OVER when the total is 7 to 8.5. 

Toronto Blue Jays:  S. Espinal (2B) Early June - Hamstring. Z. Pop (RP) Early June - Hamstring. M. White (SP) Early June - Elbow. C. Green (RP) Late July - Elbow. H. Ryu (SP) Mid July - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  Y. Diaz (3B) Out indefinitely - Personal. Z. Littell (RP) Mid June - Shoulder. B. Lowe (2B) Doub Thurs - Neck. T. Glasnow (SP) Prob Sat - Oblique. J. Diekman (RP) Out indefinitely - Personal. S. Armstrong (RP) Early June - Neck. D. Rasmussen (RP) Out indefinitely - Elbow. G. Cleavinger (RP) out for season - Knee. J. Springs (RP) out for season - Elbow. S. Baz (SP) out for season - Elbow. A. Kittredge (RP) Late July - Elbow.

“We were all kind of laughing. It's hard to do against a dude throwing 40, whatever. You kind of take it for what it's worth. The fact that he was laughing, I loved it.” - John Schneider after his team’s win against the Rays in their game on Tuesday.

“In fairness, it got a little ugly.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s loss against the Blue Jays in their game on Tuesday.

George Springer (R) DH

Bo Bichette (R) SS

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B

Matt Chapman (R) 3B

Whit Merrifield (R) LF

Danny Jansen (R) C

Daulton Varsho (L) CF

Ernie Clement (R) 2B

Nathan Lukes (L) RF

Manuel Margot (R) RF

Wander Franco (S) SS

Harold Ramirez (R) DH

Randy Arozarena (R) LF

Isaac Paredes (R) 3B

Taylor Walls (S) 2B

Luke Raley (L) 1B

Christian Bethancourt (R) C

Jose Siri (R) CF

Batting Average:  Ernie Clement (1.000)

Hits:  Bo Bichette (68)

Home Runs:  Bo Bichette (9)

RBI:  Vladimir Guerrero (33)

Stolen Bases:  Whit Merrifield (14)

Wins:  Chris Bassitt (5)

Saves:  Jordan Romano (10)

ERA:  Thomas Hatch (0.00)

Batting Average:  Yandy Diaz (.322)

Hits:  Randy Arozarena (53)

Home Runs:  Yandy Diaz (11)

RBI:  Randy Arozarena (37)

Stolen Bases:  Wander Franco (14)

Wins:  Shane McClanahan (7)

Saves:  Jason Adam (6)

ERA:  Chase Anderson (0.00)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (2nd season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (9th season)