Kevin Gausman Over 7.5 Strikeouts

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Drew Rasmussen Over 4.5 Strikeouts

As the Tampa Bay Lighting and Toronto Maple Leafs head north for a decisive game 7 matchup, the Blue Jays and Rays are in Florida for an important divisional series with both teams looking to keep pace with the AL East leading Yankees.

In previous seasons, the Tampa Bay offense feasted on RHP but struggled to put the ball in play against LHP. Those numbers have completely flipped this year as they own the highest K% against RHP and 2nd lowest vs LHP. On Friday, they’ll face RHP Kevin Gausman who has a 31.3 K% to start the year so I expect more of the same from both sides.

TBR K% vs LHP:   

2019:  25.7%

2020:  28.5%

2021:  25.6%

2022:  18.0%

TBR K% vs RHP:

2022:  25.8%

The opposite matchup has Drew Rasmussen battling the surprisingly inconsistent Blue Jays offense. It’s no secret Toronto is a sleeping giant but they’re currently striking out 23% against RHP. Rasmussen has flashed elite strikeout upside at times although Tampa rarely lets him go deep into games. I expect him to clear 5 strikeouts if he can go 5+ innings.

Check out the Blue Jays vs. Rays Same Game Parlays on FanDuel