MLB Betting: Rays and Jays wrap series

Shaun Marcum has fallen twice this season to David Price and the Rays.

Wednesday’s American League East matchup between Toronto and Tampa Bay will feature the third pitching duel of the season between the Blue Jays’ Shaun Marcum and the Rays’ David Price.

Tampa Bay won the earlier matchups that both occurred in early June, and the team continues to battle New York atop the division standings.  If the Rays are unable to overtake the Yankees in the standings, they still have the inside track for the AL wild card.

Toronto is a respectable five games over .500, but the team is playing out the string 13 games out of the wild-card chase.  The Blue Jays conclude this three-game series with Tampa Bay before traveling to New York for three games.

Marcum (11-7, 3.61 ERA) picked up a no-decision in Friday’s effort versus Detroit.  The 28-year-old was reached for one run on eight hits (one home run) with two walks and four strikeouts over six innings and 100 pitches.

The Blue Jays eventually prevailed as 130 home ‘chalk,’ 3-2, marking his third straight start that the ‘under’ cashed.  His pitch total in that contest marked just the third time his previous nine outings that he has reached or eclipsed 100 pitches.

Marcum has dropped both of his starts against the Rays and Price this season, tossing a combined 12 1/3 innings while surrendering 12 runs (11 earned) on 20 hits (one home run) with a walk and five strikeouts.  Toronto fell as a 106 home selection, 7-3, and as a 139 road underdog, 10-1.  The ‘over’ has now cashed his previous three starts versus the Rays.

The Blue Jays, 32-34 on the road, are a miserable 3-13 their last 16 games on fieldturf.  Toronto has also struggled to a 22-5 ledger the previous 27 matchups against the Rays.

Tampa Bay’s Price (15-6, 3.01 ERA) failed to record his 16th victory on the season for the third straight start after Friday’s setback to Boston as a 139 home favorite, 3-1.  The southpaw went seven innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits (two home runs) with no walks and eight strikeouts on 106 pitches.

The combined four runs never seriously threatened the seven-run closing total, ending a string of three straight ‘over’ outings for the Vanderbilt product.  Both home runs were hit by Victor Martinez.

Price won those earlier meetings with the Blue Jays and Marcum by tossing a combined 14 innings, allowing just three runs (one earned) on 13 hits with five walks and seven strikeouts.  The 25-year-old also faced Toronto April 25 and prevailed as decided 200 home ‘chalk,’ 6-0.  The three-year veteran went the complete-game route, yielding just four hits with a walk and nine strikeouts.  The six runs failed to topple the 8 ½-run closing MLB odds total.

The Rays conclude their six-game homestand with this matchup before embarking on a nine-game AL East road trip versus Baltimore, Boston and Toronto.  Tampa Bay, 42-25 at Tropicana Field, has seen the ‘over’ go 14-5 its past 19 Wednesday games.

Wednesday’s home-plate umpire will be Mark Carlson, who has seen the ‘over’ go 14-12 in his 27 games behind the plate.  There has been an average of 10.3 runs in those matchups, with 7.4 walks and 13.1 strikeouts.