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The Toronto Blue Jays take on the Tampa Bay Rays in the second game of a four-game series on Tuesday, May 23. First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. ET at Tropicana Field. Jose Berrios (3-4, 4.61 ERA) will take the mound for the Blue Jays, with rookie Taj Bradley (3-0, 3.54 ERA) pitching for the Rays.
Tampa is a -135 moneyline favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook, while Toronto comes in at +105. The total is set at 9.
Blue Jays-Rays picks: Tuesday, May 23
Injury report
Rays
Out: SP Tyler Glasnow (oblique)
Blue Jays
Out: 2B Santiago Espinal (hamstring), SP Mitch White (elbow), RP Zach Pop (hamstring), RP Adam Cimber (shoulder)
Starting pitchers
Jose Berrios vs. Taj Bradley
Berrios already has nine starts under his belt and has been up-and-down more than a roller coaster this season for Toronto. If his fastball command is off he’s liable to implode — although the last time he pitched against this tough Rays batting lineup, he allowed just one earned run in five innings, striking out six batters and walking zero to earn the win.
One of the top pitching prospects in baseball, Bradley has made four starts this year, lasting right around five innings each time. In his latest outing, he allowed two earned runs and struck out four batters, his lowest strikeout number yet this season. He whiffed 23 batters in April and allowed six runs in the month.
Over/Under pick
Last night’s game ended with a total of 10 after the Blue Jays tacked on two more runs in the ninth inning. The Rays have one of the highest-scoring offenses in baseball, but two very solid pitchers take the mound tonight. Berrios has shown that he can handle this Tampa offense, and both he and Bradley have been very consistent this season. I think we go with the under tonight.
Pick: Under 9
Moneyline pick
Tampa does well at home and has the best record as favorites in all of MLB. After the Blue Jays failed to come particularly close last night, I think it might be time to acknowledge a true slump — they’ve lost seven of their last eight games, were swept by the Baltimore Orioles, and aren’t looking particularly promising. While Berrios could be solid on the mound, it will be tough for the Blue Jays to provide enough run support to overcome this Rays offense.
Pick: Rays