Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays 4/16/2023 Picks, Predictions and Tips
On Sunday, April 16, 2023, at 1:37 PM ET, the Tampa Bay Rays will travel to the Rogers Centre in Canada to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in an exciting MLB matchup. The Rays had a historic start to the season, winning their first 13 games before finally suffering their first loss on Friday night against the Blue Jays in the opening game of this series. Despite the loss, the Rays still hold a five-game lead over the Yankees and Blue Jays in the AL East race going into Saturday.
In their Friday night loss, Christian Bethancourt had a solid outing for the Rays, contributing two singles (run, RBI) to Tampa Bay’s eight-hit effort. Josh Lowe also hit his third home run, while Bethancourt hit his second. Unfortunately, the Rays couldn’t overcome the deficit, and Drew Rasmussen (2-1), who was starting, suffered the defeat after giving up five runs on eight hits, four walks, and four Ks in 4.1 innings.
The Rays will have Shane McClanahan on the mound, making his fourth start of the year. With a 3-0 record, a 1.59 ERA, a 1.176 WHIP, nine walks, and 21 strikeouts in 17 innings of action this year, McClanahan has been a solid pitcher for the Rays. In his most recent start, he pitched five innings against the Red Sox, giving up one run on two hits, four walks, and nine strikeouts in a 7-2 win for Tampa Bay. This will be McClanahan’s eighth career start against the Blue Jays.
- Tampa Bay is 1-4 SU in their last 5 games on the road with the Blue Jays.
- The total went OVER in 6 of Tampa Bay’s last 9 games with a team in the AL.
- The total hung OVER in 7 of the Rays’ last 10 games played in April.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays 4/16/2023 Picks, Predictions and Tips
The Toronto Blue Jays secured their fourth victory in the last five games after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in the first game of their series on Friday night. As of Saturday, the Blue Jays had an 8-6 record and were tied for second place in the AL East, trailing the Rays by five matches. Bo Bichette played a starring role in Friday night’s game, hitting five of the team’s 10 hits and contributing two runs and two RBIs, while Kevin Kiermaier added two runs and two hits for the Rays. George Springer started the game with a solo home run to give Toronto the lead. Jose Berrios secured the victory for the Blue Jays by allowing only one run on four hits, with no walks and six strikeouts, in five innings of work.
Toronto will send Alek Manoah to the mound in this game, making his fourth start of the season. Manoah has pitched 14.2 innings so far this year, with a 1-0 record, a 4.91 ERA, a 1.705 WHIP, 11 walks, and 11 strikeouts. In his last start against the Tigers on Tuesday night, Manoah pitched 4.1 innings and gave up three runs on four hits, with 5 walks and three strikeouts in a 9-3 Toronto win. This game marks Manoah’s eighth career start against the Rays.
- Toronto is 4-1 SU in their last 5 games at home against Tampa Bay.
- The total went OVER in 5 of the Blue Jays’ last 5 games played on a Sunday.
- The total hung OVER in 15 of Toronto’s last 20 games when playing as the underdog.
Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays. The MLB pick for this game is the Tampa Bay Rays. The Tampa Bay Rays are the best team in baseball and will come into Sunday looking to avenge their first loss of the year. The Rays’ bats will be rolling as Tampa cashes in a ton of Prop plays in an effort to get back to their winning ways. Tampa Bay won 13 of its first 14 to open the season and the Rays have won four of the last five games versus an AL East opponent.
Tampa’s Shane McClanahan is off to a strong start at 3-0 with a 1.59 ERA after allowing three runs on 11 hits across 17 innings, with victories over Detroit, Washington, and Boston. Toronto’s Alek Manoah has struggled in two of three starts allowing eight runs on 14 hits across 14 ⅔ innings, for an ERA of 4.91. Final Score Prediction, Tampa Bay Rays win 6-2.
MLB Starting Time: 1:37 PM ET
Location: Rogers Centre, CAN
Date: Sunday, April 16, 2023
TV: ESP+
MLB Odds: Tampa Bay Rays -117
MLB Totals: 8.5
