Blue Jays vs. Rays prop picks August 2: Keep betting on Vladdy

The Toronto Blue Jays start a two-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday.

The pregame narrative: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Brandon Lowe have been seeing the ball well lately while Rays starter Drew Rasmussen hasn’t looked the same since returning from a hamstring injury.

Check out our Blue Jays vs. Rays prop picks for August 2.

Blue Jays vs. Rays prop picks overview

Blue Jays vs. Rays prop picks

Best bet: Guerrero Jr. over 1.5 total bases (+100)

There’s no reason to fade Guerrero, who is on an absolute tear currently.

The Blue Jays slugger has recorded a hit in 12 consecutive games and has managed an impressive .426 average and .491 on-base percentage during this stretch. His average on the year has gone from .262 to .283 over the course of his hot streak.

Guerrero and the rest of Toronto’s lineup will benefit from facing Rasmussen, who has been giving up more hits as of late.

The 27-year-old only allowed 41 hits over his first 53.2 innings of work this season but he’s been knocked around for 35 hits across his last 28.2 innings pitched. It’s worth noting that 24.1 of those innings have occurred since Rasmussen was activated off the injured list.

Toronto’s first baseman doesn’t have the strongest career numbers against Rasmussen, slashing .200/.200/.300 across 10 plate appearances. But the sample is small and Vladdy has only struck out in one of those head-to-head matchups.

We’re going to roll with an elite talent who’s swinging the bat well on Tuesday.

Key stat: Guerrero Jr. has gone over 1.5 total bases in five of his last seven games.

Read more: Blue Jays vs. Rays picks and odds

Quick picks

Rasmussen under 4.5 strikeouts (-136): You have to pay a decent amount of juice on this bet but it’s still one we’re looking to make. Rasmussen has pitched a combined 10.1 innings against the Blue Jays this season and has totalled just three strikeouts against the team.

Additionally, he’s not somebody who routinely pitches deep into games. He’s lasted longer than five innings in just one of his last six starts and in four of 17 appearances this year. The righty has gone under 4.5 strikeouts in six of his last eight outings.

Read more: Blue Jays betting trends

Lowe over 1.5 total bases (+135): Lowe has been swinging a hot stick ahead of Tuesday’s game. The second baseman slashed .340/.392/.553 in 12 games in July and has multi-hit games in each of his last two contests.

Over that 12-game stretch, he topped 1.5 total bases in half the contests. While he has a tough assignment in Kevin Gausman, Lowe has been a significantly better hitter against right-handers in his career (his OPS vs. righties is more than 100 points higher compared to his mark against lefties).

Odds as of 8:30 a.m. on 08/02/2022.

SP

Steven Psihogios writes about sports betting for NorthStar Bets. NorthStar Bets is owned by NordStar Capital, which also owns Torstar, the Star’s parent company. Follow him on Twitter: @StevenPsihogios SHARE:

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