Rays vs. Blue Jays Same Game Parlay Picks: Wild-Card Hopefuls Engage in Shootout

The AL East boasts three likely playoff teams. Two of them square off this week. Here are our Tampa Bay Rays-Toronto Blue Jays same-game parlay picks for Monday.

Both the Rays and the Blue Jays appear to be sitting pretty in the AL wild-card picture, but banking these games against a division rival is critical as the sides jockey for playoff seeding.

Here are my same-game parlay picks for Monday’s matchup between the Rays and Blue Jays (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).

Rays vs. Blue Jays Same Game Parlay Picks

Rays vs. Blue Jays Same Game Parlay Predictions

Rays ML (+128) ★★★

The Rays are going with rookie Cooper Criswell as Monday’s starting pitcher, but it’s not likely that he will be in the game for long. A rookie with an ERA just below 4.00 in Triple-A this season, Criswell doesn’t provide much of an advantage against a Toronto lineup that crushes right-handed pitching. But I’m counting on a wild one in which the Rays lineup carries the day against the struggling Jose Berrios.

Tampa Bay generally struggles more against right-handed pitching, but we’ve seen Berrios get absolutely clobbered in some of his recent outings against lesser lineups than this one. He has allowed eight or more hits in three of his last five outings and sports a 6.19 ERA since the beginning of August.

The story of the Rays lineup recently has been dormant stretches followed by the occasional outburst. I believe Berrios’ recent generosity with base runners helps fuel one of the latter types of performances for Tampa on Monday.

Over 8.5 (-120) ★★★★

Rays pitching has given up 10 runs to the New York Yankees in each of their past two games and are starting a pitcher who has recorded just four outs in his MLB career. Though they have a notable pedigree, Tampa’s relievers still have to reckon with Toronto’s dominant lineup.

The Blue Jays have averaged nearly seven runs per game over the past week and catch the Rays pitching staff at an opportune time. Combine that with my belief in a hit parade against Toronto’s Berrios and you’ve got an Over.

Tampa has failed to score more than four runs in eight of its last 12 games. But in the four games they cleared that mark, the Rays have done so while averaging nine runs per game. In a feast-or-famine stretch of their season, I like the Rays to eat well on Monday.

Berrios Over 4.5 strikeouts (+130) ★★★

Berrios can be a dangerous strikeout pitcher but it hasn’t always come consistently of late. Since the beginning of August, Berrios has met the five-strikeout bar just twice in six starts. Yet, in July, Berrios posted six or more strikeouts in five of six starts. The recent struggles have lowered expectations and juiced up the odds on buying back into Berrios as a strikeout pitcher Monday.

Playing around with the same-game parlay structure on FanDuel, this alignment is considered extremely unlikely. We get crazy odds boosts for buying Berrios’ K total despite that we believe lots of runs are scored. For the Rays to be the team to score more of them than the powerful Jays is truly considered by FanDuel threading the needle. But the rewards are significant if our unique game script comes to life.

Combined Odds: Rays ML (+128) + Over 8.5 (-120) + Berrios Over 4.5 Strikeouts (+130) = +1115

Where to Bet on MLB Same Game Parlay Picks

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel Sportsbook
Caesars Sportsbook
DraftKings Sportsbook
PointsBet
BetMGM

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Rays-Blue Jays picks made 9/12/2022 at 1:30 p.m. ET