Rays vs. Blue Jays Prediction and Odds for July 1 (Fade Berrios as he Continues to Struggle)

Game 2 of an extremely important five-game series in the AL East between fourth place Tampa Bay Rays and the third place Toronto Blue Jays is set to take place on Canada Day, July 1st. There has been some jockeying in the division as Boston recently jumped into second, but Toronto took two of three from the Red Sox this week.

On the mound are two former all-stars seeking to regain their vintage form on new teams. Jose Berrios goes for Toronto and Corey Kluber, the 2017 AL Cy Young award winner, goes for Tampa Bay. 

You can find odds for this and every game at WynnBET Sportsbook.

Rays vs. Blue Jays Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line

• Rays: +1.5 (-165)
• Blue Jays -1.5 (+135)

Moneyline

• Rays +130
• Blue Jays -140

Total

• 9 (Over +105/ Under -125 )

Rays vs. Blue Jays Prediction and Pick

Jose Berrios appeared to have found something in what has been a very rough year for the 28-year-old, but his last two starts prove otherwise. He began the month of June with three straight quality starts and finally brought his ERA under five, but after his last two outings, his ERA sits at 5.86. Last time out he couldn’t get through the third inning before giving up eight runs.

Jose Berrios’s best year in terms of ERA came in 2021. His curveball was his most thrown pitch and had a whiff rate of 34.4%. For some reason, his fastball usage is way up this year compared to last. He is throwing his fastball more than any other pitch and seven percent more than a year ago, even though it has a whiff rate five percent lower than 2021. This new pitch mix has not worked and it is unclear what has caused the shift. 

Corey Kluber, on the other hand, is having his best year since 2018, though he was still very effective for the Yankees last season. Kluber has a 3.45 ERA and though he has not gone past the sixth inning, he has only allowed more than two earned runs three times in his 14 starts. 

There is a clear advantage on the mound for Tampa Bay and that is good enough for me. 

Pick: Rays ML (+130)

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