Toronto Blue Jays vs Tampa Bay Rays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/19/2026

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Wednesday, August 19, 2026

Venue:  Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, FL

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +183, Rays -224; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +180, Rays -225; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +180, Rays -225; Over/Under:  8 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  61-65 (5th place, AL East)

Tampa Bay Rays:  75-49 (1st place, AL East)

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Toronto Blue Jays:  7-3 last 10

Tampa Bay Rays:  7-3 last 10

The Blue Jays are entering this series off a loss and won their 3-game series against the New York Yankees 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 61-65 record overall and have a road record of 28-32. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Rays on Wednesday with the series opener still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 30th in the MLB with a .678 OPS. José Soriano is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Max Scherzer is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 1-5 with a 6.59 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 2 BB with 4 SO on 3 hits through 5 IP against the Boston Red Sox.

The Rays are entering this series off a win and lost their 4-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 75-49 record overall and have a home record of 42-21. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Blue Jays on Wednesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Tuesday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .740 OPS. Nick Martinez is their starting pitcher on Tuesday while Drew Rasmussen is making his start in this game on Wednesday. He is 12-5 with a 2.78 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 0 homers, and 1 walk with 3 strikeouts on 4 hits through 5 innings pitched against the Athletics.

The current betting odds have the Rays listed as a big favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rays have looked great in their games this season with their 75-49 record overall which has them right at the top of the AL East with one of the best records in MLB. They have looked great in their own ballpark too with their 42-21 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays haven't looked great in their games this season with their 61-65 record overall which has them right at the bottom of the AL East. They haven't been a great road team either with their 28-32 road record this year. The Blue Jays are 7-3 in their last 10 games and they have been rolling lately, pulling themselves back into the Wild Card race, but the Rays are also 7-3 in their last 10 games and they are going to have the better pitching matchup here. The Rays are going with Rasmussen in this one and he has looked great this season. He is 12-5 with a 2.78 ERA and he has been one of their best starters all year. He is coming off another good start giving up 2 earned runs which has been a common theme for him and the team has been having a ton of success with him lately, winning 5 games in a row now with him starting. The Blue Jays are going with Scherzer in this one and he hasn't looked good this season. He is 1-5 with a 6.59 ERA and he has been giving up a ton of runs this year. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but that hasn't been a common theme for him this season and the team has still lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting. The Rays also have one of the best home records in the league this season, so look for them to take advantage of this pitching matchup and continue rolling here. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rays to win this game and on the runline. 

Blue Jays Rays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Wednesday, August 19, 2026 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Rays 4 Blue Jays 1.

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Toronto Blue Jays: 142-145 (-15.1 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with an on base percentage .330 or worse. 97-101 (-20.7 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL team with a slugging percentage .410 or worse on the season. 71-87 (-18.2 units) on the moneyline vs. an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.300 or better. 12-5 UNDER on the road vs. an AL starting pitcher whose WHIP is 1.300 or better.

Tampa Bay Rays: 120-88 (+11.2 units) on the moneyline when playing against a team with a losing record. 95-74 (+8 units) on the moneyline vs. AL teams scoring 4.4 or less runs/game on the season. 166-153 (+12.4 units) on the moneyline vs. good fielding teams - averaging 0.6 errors/game or less. 30-17 UNDER when the total is 8 to 8.5.

Toronto Blue Jays:  V. Guerrero Jr. (1B) Seven Day IL - Head. J. Bloss (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Taillon (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Forearm. L. Urias (2B) Ten Day IL - Quadriceps. T. Yesavage (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. P. Corbin (SP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. L. Sosa (2B) Sixty Day IL - Wrist. S. Arrighetti (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Foot. A. Barger (RF) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. J. Clase (LF) Ten Day IL - Foot. J. Mantiply (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. J. Berrios (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Ponce (SP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. A. Santander (RF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. Y. Garcia (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Francis (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Tampa Bay Rays:  V. Mesa Jr. (RF) Day To Day - Hamstring. G. Jax (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. B. Williamson (2B) Ten Day IL - Hamstring. J. Fraley (RF) Sixty Day IL - Groin. C. Sulser (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. J. Heasley (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. G. Lux (LF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. R. Pepiot (SP) Sixty Day IL - Hip. E. Uceta (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. M. Rodriguez (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“That’s a tough 17-game grind [in 17 days] for everyone. To come out 11-6 is really impressive with the travel and the teams we’re facing. I always say you want to keep stacking series wins. Today’s a tough one because there were some chances to finish off a sweep, which is hard against any team. We just need to continue to play as hard as we’re playing.” - John Schneider after his team’s loss against the Yankees in their game on Sunday. 

“The guys stayed at it, didn't get frustrated. I think that's probably a byproduct of knowing that we're a good team and we've kind of withstood some stuff in the past, and they just stayed at it.” - Kevin Cash after his team’s win against the Orioles in their game on Monday. 

Brett Bateman (L) RF

Charles McAdoo (R) 1B

Alejandro Kirk (R) C

George Springer (R) DH

Ernie Clement (R) 2B

Kazuma Okamoto (R) 3B

Daz Cameron (R) LF

Andrés Giménez (L) SS

Myles Straw (R) CF

Yandy Díaz (R) DH

Jonathan Aranda (L) 1B

Junior Caminero (R) 3B

Liam Hicks (L) C

Chandler Simpson (L) LF

Ryan Vilade (R) RF

Cedric Mullins (L) CF

Richie Palacios (L) 2B

Jorge Mateo (R) SS

Batting Average:  Eloy Jiménez (.290)

Hits:  Ernie Clement (132)

Home Runs:  Kazuma Okamoto (24)

RBI:  Kazuma Okamoto (71)

Stolen Bases:  Andrés Giménez (17)

Wins:  Dylan Cease (7)

Saves:  Louis Varland (28)

ERA:  Tanner Andrews (0.00)

Batting Average:  Jorge Mateo (.333)

Hits:  Yandy Díaz (143)

Home Runs:  Junior Caminero (35)

RBI:  Junior Caminero (79)

Stolen Bases:  Chandler Simpson (35)

Wins:  Nick Martinez (12)

Saves:  Bryan Baker (35)

ERA:  Bryan Baker (1.47)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (5th season)

Tampa Bay Rays: Kevin Cash (12th season)