Toronto’s Marcus Stroman hasn’t lost a start since near the end of the 2014 season and is riding a nine-game winning streak. Included is a pair of victories this season over the Rays, the team he takes the mound against on Tuesday while looking to keep his run going.
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ODDS ANALYSIS
The American League East rivals are meeting for the third time already this season in a series that, so far, has been close. But for the first time this year, the teams will be playing in Toronto. The Rays and Jays have met seven times prior to this matchup with Toronto holding a 4-3 edge in the season series.
Tuesday’s probables Chris Archer and Marcus Stroman will be facing their opponent for the third time this year and each other for the second time. The two squared off on opening day with Stroman getting the W in a 5-3 Blue Jays victory. That game is the only one of the seven meetings between these teams to play over the total. Since then the under is 5-0-1.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
Chris Archer (2-4, 4.57 ERA) went 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA in the three starts leading up to Wednesday’s no-decision, when his control escaped him. The Rays’ ace dug himself an early hole with three first-inning walks and Seattle capitalized by scoring three runs in an eventual 6-5 win. Falling behind in the counts has been his biggest enemy this year.
Archer is 0-1 with a 3.27 ERA in two starts vs. Toronto this year. He fanned a season-high 12 Jays in five innings in the season opener but took the loss. He tossed six innings on Apr. 30 with the only hit allowed a two-run homer to Jose Bautista. He took a no-decision in that outing.
Wednesday’s late-inning rally against the Giants got Marcus Stroman (4-0, 3.54 ERA) off the hook for the loss and kept his winning streak alive. The young righty allowed eight hits and four runs – two earned – in six innings and left trailing 4-1. The Jays rallied to tie the game before falling in extras. His current nine-game winning streak is the longest by a Jays pitcher since 2003.
This will mark the third time this season that Stroman has faced Tampa Bay. He went eight innings each of the first two times and has allowed a total or four runs while notching a pair of victories.
LIVE BETTING
The Rays’ bullpen had been one of the team’s biggest strengths in the first month of the season, but reliever Steve Geltz endured a hellish week, giving up three deciding home runs in a span of six days, including Sunday’s two-run, go-ahead shot with two outs in the ninth inning as Oakland rallied for a win.
Last Monday, Geltz inherited two runners in a tie game and gave up a three-run homer in a 5-2 loss to the Mariners. Two days later he gave up a walkoff home run in the 11th in another loss to Seattle. On Sunday, Geltz’s first pitch was sent over the left field wall by Danny Valencia for his third home run of the game. Geltz has allowed 13 homers since the start of the 2015 season, tied for third-most among AL relievers. He’s given up three game-winning homers in four appearances, including two in which he inherited a runner and gave up a homer on the first pitch.
QUICK PICK
Two of the finest young arms in the AL go up against each other for the second time this season. Stroman has the better numbers and also got the better of Archer and the Rays when the clubs met on opening day Apr. 3. Archer has all the talent in the world and has pieced together two scoreless starts among his past four, but the results so far have been disappointing. That could prove to be problematic as he prepares to face the Blue Jays potent offense.
MLB Odds: Toronto 6, Tampa Bay 3
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