Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays Prediction & Betting Tips - MLB Spring Training

Prediction published on 10/03/2024, 17:07  by Matthew Newman | Modified on 10/03/2024 at 17:12 in Baseball Predictions

An American League East matchup in spring training on Monday as the Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue Jays. This is the second time that these teams have met, the first was a 3-2 win for the Jays. It is an important game for both sides as they begin the regular season with a four-game set in Tampa. The Rays have had a poor spring so far with a losing record. The way they piece their pitching together like a jigsaw in the regular season should make this familiar territory but it's the pitching that has let them down. One bright spot in their batting order has been Amed Rosario who came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers. He has eight hits in 24 at-bats, including two doubles and a pair of home runs. The shortened season of 2020 is the only one in the last six where he didn't hit 25+ doubles.

The Jays finally found some form in the last week with a pair of wins over the Philadelphia Phillies as well as victories over the New York Yankees and the Detroit Tigers. Veteran Paolo Espino has shown up well in camp after being signed to a minor league contract. He has struck out nine in five innings, giving up a solitary hit in that time. With Alek Manoah and Kevin Gausman facing an uphill battle to get free of injury ahead of the regular season, it might be that Espino gets the call to try and get his career back on track. The Jays are starting to hit with Vladimir Guerrero finding his stride. The power is not there yet but he and Bo Bichette have been racking up the hits.