Young Talent Getting Look for Blue Jays
Bo Bichette and the Toronto Blue Jays will head south to St. Petersburg, Florida to take on the surging Tampa Bay Rays this Tuesday. It’ll be the second game of a three-game series. The playoff-hopeful Rays currently occupy the second Wild Card spot in the AL following an 8-3 run, which included a six-game winning streak until last night. The Blue Jays take aim at their seventh win in nine tries Tuesday when they continue a three-game set in Tampa Bay against the Rays.
TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), FS Sun (Tampa Bay); LINE: Rays -193; O/U: 8.5 Under -113.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Trent Thornton (4-7, 5.23 ERA) vs. Rays RH Andrew Kittredge (1-0, 2.52)
The Jays’ trip to Florida will be a homecoming of sorts for the recent call-up Bichette. He is from Orlando, so it should be a fun series for the rookie standout.
Since being called up to the Show on July 29th Bo Bichette has shown what he’s capable of. The SS is batting at a torrid .406 pace, including two home runs and five doubles. Bichette has a hit in each of the seven games he’s played for the Jays.
Toronto ripped off a season-high five straight victories after stumbling to a 6-10 record following the All-Star break. They backtracked a bit over the weekend in Baltimore. After riding the red-hot bat of 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr. for the bulk of that run, Bo Bichette backed a five-hit shutout from fellow rookie Jacob Waguespack and three relievers. He accounted for both runs in the Blue Jays’ 2-0 win on Monday.
The shutout was a shock to the system for the Rays. They had scored at least six runs in a team-record seven straight contests. The last six were wins. The team stranded seven runners and finished 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Tampa Bay remained one-half game ahead of Oakland for the second wild card in the American League. They fell nine games behind the New York Yankees atop the AL East.
This, That, and a Blue Jays & Rays Dart Throw
The Blue Jays‘ Thornton returned from a brief stay on the injured list with right elbow inflammation. He made a conscious effort to relax during Thursday’s win in Baltimore. He allowed one run on five hits and no walks over six innings. Thornton has faced Tampa Bay twice this season, going 0-1 with a 9.39 ERA. Bichette on Monday joined Jesse Barfield (1981) and Ryan Goins (2013) as the only players in team history to begin their careers with a hitting streak of at least eight games.
The Rays‘ Kittredge will make his second appearance in three days after closing out Tampa Bay’s 7-2 win against Miami on Sunday. He permitted one unearned run over two innings. Kittredge produced a similar line when he opened at Boston on Wednesday. He yielded one unearned run on two hits while striking out three in 2-1/3 innings. Kittredge also got the start four days earlier in Toronto, allowing two runs despite fanning seven across three innings in a no-decision.
DH-1B Jesus Aguilar became the 13th player to bat cleanup for the Rays this season. He is 5-for-11 with a homer, two RBI’s and four runs scored in four games since arriving from Milwaukee at the trade deadline.
The Dart Throw: Rays 7, Blue Jays 4
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Blue Jays vs Rays Betting Odds & Trends
| Toronto Blue Jays |
|---|
| Toronto is 8-2 ATS in its last 10 games |
| Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games |
| Toronto is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games on the road |
| Toronto is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road |
| The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games on the road |
| Toronto is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Tampa Bay |
| Toronto is 2-6 SU in its last 8 games when playing Tampa Bay |
| Toronto is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing on the road against Tampa Bay |
| Tampa Bay Rays |
|---|
| Tampa Bay is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games |
| Tampa Bay is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games |
| The total has gone OVER in 7 of Tampa Bay’s last 8 games |
| Tampa Bay is 4-10 ATS in its last 14 games at home |
| The total has gone OVER in 4 of Tampa Bay’s last 6 games at home |
| Tampa Bay is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Toronto |
| Tampa Bay is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing Toronto |
| Tampa Bay is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Toronto |
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