Tampa Bay Rays vs Toronto Blue Jays Prediction & Picks - MLB

Prediction published on 8/20/26, 9:56 AM  by Edgar Jibran in MLB Picks

The last game in the MLB series between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays will take place this Thursday at 11:10 am CST, and it’s expected to be one of the most relevant divisional games in the regular season for the Rays. Much of that relevance comes from the fact that they lost the first game (10-5), so winning the series became crucial to maintain their 5-game advantage over the Yankees in the AL East Division.

With this fact in mind, the Rays’ choice of Ian Seymour as the opener pitcher for this game looks like a good decision when considering that he was able to record at least 7 strikeouts in his last three starts. Nevertheless, it should be noted that he allowed two home runs in his last appearance on the mound during his game against the Baltimore Orioles, so avoiding this from happening will be key for him to remain confident in the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, the Toronto Blue Jays announced Shane Bieber as the starting pitcher, though he just returned from a right elbow injury in late June. Despite this, he has been able to secure a 4W-2L record, it being worth noting that he allowed more than one earned run in two of his last six starts. Although these are amazing numbers, Bieber allowed three home runs in his last two games.