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It hasn’t been a great baseball stretch for me the last few days. Sometimes appearances are right, but the results are wrong. Of course, it’s easy to say the look is wrong if you have a losing ticket, and there’s a lot of truth to it.
Yesterday, the Philadelphia Phillies won the first five innings 1-0. I expected Aaron Nola to be worse, but he pitched well, so my game against the Miami Marlins was a loss, but it wasn’t a terrible look. Today, hopefully we can get back on track with the Toronto Blue Jays taking on the Tampa Bay Rays.
Yandy Díaz of the Tampa Bay Rays watches between innings against the Oakland Athletics at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California on August 20, 2024. (Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Blue Jays were inches, minutes, outs, whatever descriptor you want to use, away from winning the World Series last year. This season, they seem to be struggling to make the playoffs.
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They’re currently three games under .500, which is a bit tough considering they’re in one of the toughest divisions in baseball. Is this a hangover from the World Series, or is it something worse for the team? The pitching staff looks a little rough, with a 4.27 ERA and 1.30 WHIP.
One of their best starters takes the field tonight as the Rays turn to Kevin Gausman. For the year, Gausman is 2-2 with a 3.10 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. He has made three road starts this season, only one of which was a quality outing. He allowed nine earned runs in 16.2 innings. The Rays have been very strong against the Blue Jays right-hander in the past. In 74 at-bats against Gausman, they are hitting .351. However, they only have four extra base hits against him.
Tampa Bay is one of those teams that finds ways to win no matter who is on their roster. I have to say I’m a little shocked at how well the team is doing over the first part of the year. They are 22-12 and have one of the best records in baseball. At home, they are 12-4, which looks like one of the most dominant teams in sports. As a team, they are hitting .253 and the pitching staff is pitching to a 3.67 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
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Drew Rasmussen of the Tampa Bay Rays throws a pitch during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida on August 14, 2022. (Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
Drew Rasmussen looks to position them for another win. For the season, the right-hander is 2-1 with a 2.64 ERA and 0.85 WHIP. He has made two successful home starts this year and has gone six innings in each of them. He allowed a total of six hits, one walk and one earned run in those 12 innings. The Blue Jays hitters haven’t been great against him, hitting just .200 overall, but they have five extra-base hits in their 12 at-bats. This means that when they make contact, they hit the ball hard.
There are a few things that strike me here. First, I think the Rays have the upper hand in this game and should get the win. With a -130 line for the Rays, I think we still have value, and I’ll take them to win. Rasmussen was very strong. Gausman keeps this line tighter, but the Blue Jays have been horrible on the road and the Rays have been strong at home.
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Kevin Gausman pitches for the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at the Rogers Center in Toronto, Ontario on April 7, 2026. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Another game worth investing a little money in is an accessory. Yandy Diaz was excellent against Gausman. While he doesn’t have a ton of extra base hits against him, he has a .583 average against him in 12 at-bats. I like him to get more than 2 total bases at +120.
For more news and sports betting, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
