Cease’s hot streak anchors CBS pick for Rays-Blue Jays parlay
CBS Sports’ Matt Severance is backing Toronto and a lower-scoring game as Dylan Cease faces the skidding Rays at Rogers Centre.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
Dylan Cease takes the ball for Toronto on Monday night with a near no-hitter still fresh in the betting market’s memory, and CBS Sports’ Matt Severance says that is enough to build a same-game parlay around the Blue Jays.
The Rays visit the Blue Jays for a 7:07 p.m. ET first pitch at Rogers Centre. CBS Sports listed Tampa Bay at 56-42 and Toronto at 46-53 entering the matchup, with the Rays leading the American League East and the Blue Jays trying to claw back into the wild-card picture.
Severance’s same-game parlay at DraftKings is Toronto on the money line paired with an alternate under 9.5 runs. CBS Sports listed the price at +114.
Cease comes in rolling
Cease’s last start, on July 8 in San Francisco, nearly made history. According to CBS Sports, he carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning before Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos opened the inning with a line-drive single to center.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider then removed Cease after a career-high 118 pitches, 81 of them strikes, CBS Sports reported. The outing helped push Cease up the Cy Young betting board: DraftKings had him at +130 as of the report, ahead of Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler at +140 after Schlittler’s Sunday loss to the Dodgers.
Cease also pitched in the All-Star Game last Tuesday, earning the win for the American League after striking out three batters in the first inning, according to CBS Sports. In his start before the San Francisco gem, he threw seven scoreless innings in Seattle.
At home this season, Cease is 1-3 in nine starts despite a 2.82 ERA, with CBS Sports pointing to limited run support. Against Tampa Bay on May 13, he allowed one run and three hits over seven innings in a game Toronto later won in extra innings.
The SportsLine Projection Model has Cease forecast for 5.5 innings, 7.3 strikeouts, 5.1 hits allowed and 2.5 earned runs. DraftKings set his strikeout total at 7.5 and listed him at +140 to record the win, according to CBS Sports.
Rays arrive in a rare skid
Tampa Bay enters with five straight losses, its longest losing streak since April 2025, CBS Sports reported. The Rays had been one of eight MLB teams that had not dropped five or more in a row this season. They have also lost six consecutive road games.
Despite that wobble, Tampa Bay still leads the division by 1.5 games over the Yankees. CBS Sports listed the Rays as +130 to win the AL East, behind New York at +100.
Toronto’s urgency is obvious in the standings. CBS Sports reported the Blue Jays were seven games under .500 and 4.5 games out of the final American League wild-card spot, with several teams ahead of them. The SportsLine model gives Toronto a 12.0% chance to reach the playoffs, while DraftKings priced that outcome at +350, which CBS Sports noted implies 22.2%.
Martinez gets the Rays start
Tampa Bay counters with right-hander Nick Martinez, a first-time All-Star who entered at 8-2 with a 2.65 ERA, according to CBS Sports. The Rays are 14-4 in his starts, making him one of the majors’ most profitable starters by betting return at +$948.
Martinez faced Toronto once this season, giving up one run over five innings in a May 4 home win. CBS Sports also noted that Blue Jays leadoff hitter George Springer is 6-for-17 against Martinez with two home runs.
Across his career against Toronto, Martinez is 2-2 with a 5.83 ERA in 29.1 innings. The SportsLine model projects him for 6.1 innings, 3.6 strikeouts, 5.7 hits allowed and 2.4 earned runs, setting up the pitchers’ duel Severance is betting on.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.