The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to post consecutive wins for the first time in two weeks when they continue their series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night as -185 home betting favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto opened the series with a narrow 3-2 victory on Monday, but remain two games back of the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox in the standings heading into Tuesday night’s Rays vs. Blue Jays betting matchup at Rogers Centre.
The Blue Jays’ recent slide coincided with a nine-game road swing against divisional rivals in which they went a dismal 3-6, followed by last weekend’s three-game home set against Boston in which they lost twice and surrendered 26 total runs.
Combined with Boston’s recent 8-3 run, Toronto’s swoon has knocked them from their perch atop the division standings. But including Tuesday’s date with the Rays, Toronto’s next six games come against clubs with losing records.
The Rays have struggled in September, posting victories in just two of their past nine games. However, Tampa Bay took two of three from Toronto earlier this month, and are 12-7 in their past 19 games against the Blue Jays in September and October according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
Following Wednesday’s series finale against Tampa Bay, the Blue Jays travel to Anaheim for a four-game weekend series against the Los Angeles Angels before heading to Seattle for a three-game set against the Mariners next week.
Well out of playoff contention in the AL West, the Angels took two of three from the Blue Jays in Toronto in late August. But Toronto swept the Angels in their last visit in May of last year, outscoring Los Angeles by a 36-10 margin, and improving to 5-2 in their past seven visits.
Things could get tougher when the club travels to Seattle, which entered the week on a five-game win streak, moving them just two games back in the tightening AL wild card race.
The Mariners have struggled to find consistency in recent home contests, going 7-6 in their past 13 outings, but they are 6-1 in their past seven games at home against Toronto, and 7-3 in their past 10 overall meetings with the Blue Jays.
With their final 10 regular-season games coming against the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, and Red Sox, the Blue Jays’ playoff fate is unlikely to be decided until later this month. Toronto has amassed a 34-30 record against AL East rivals, but they are just 4-8 in their past 12 games against division opponents.
