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The Toronto Blue Jays travel to Cleveland today to take on the Cleveland Guardians. It is time to continue our MLB odds series with a Blue Jays-Guardians prediction, pick, and how to watch.
The Blue Jays enter the game after taking a three-game sweep over the Boston Red Sox. It was a great combination of hitting and pitching that led to the Sweep. While scoring 25 runs in three games, the pitching staff gave up just eight runs to take the three games. The Jays have now won six of their last ten games, and sit at 63-50 on the season. That is good for third place in the division, 7.5 games behind the Orioles for first place. Still, they currently hold a Wild Card spot, with a 2.5-game lead over the Mariners for the last position.
Meanwhile, the Guardians come in after dropping two of three in a series with the White Sox. The two games were not the only things dropped in the series between the two teams. Jose Ramirez dropped Tim Anderson with a right hook at second base that led to a bench-clearing brawl. The Guardians have now lost seven of their last ten games, but are still in second in the AL Central. At 54-58 on the season, they are 4.5 games back of the Twins in the division. The best chance for them to make the playoffs is to catch the Twins, as they are 8.5 games behind the Blue Jays in the Wild Card race.
Here are the Blue Jays-Guardians MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Guardians Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+116)
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-140)
Over: 8.5 (-108)
Under: 8.5 (-112)
How To Watch Blue Jays vs. Guardians
TV: Sportsnet/BSGL
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:10 PM ET/ 4:10 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
Article Continues Below
The Blue Jays offense has been hot as of late and hit well all year. They are 14th on the season in runs scored, fifth in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage, and ninth in slugging. Davis Schneider just played in the first three games of his career, and he made a major impact. In the series with the Red Sox, he went nine for 13 at the plate. That has him a .692 batting average, while he also has a .733 on-base percentage. He hit two home runs and had five RBIs while scoring three times. It was a great debut for him that helped the Blue Jays sweep the Red Sox.
Meanwhile, Matt Chapman continues to drive in runs. He has five RBIs in the last week with the help of a home run and two doubles. He has also scored three times while hitting .222 with an on-base percentage of .300. Kevin Kiermaier joins him in driving in runs. He has four RBIs in the last week while hitting .250. He does not have an extra-base hit, but he has scored two runs. Brandon Belt has been scoring the bulk of runs as of late. In the last week, he has scored seven times while hitting three doubles and two home runs. This has led to three RBIs. He has been hitting well, and drawing walks. In the last week, he is hitting .381. He also has six walks to bring his OBP to .519.
On the hill, today for the Blue Jays will be Hyun Jim Ryu. Ryu is 0-1 on the year with a 7.20 ERA. That is because he has made just one star this year, after coming off the 60-Day IL, where he started the season. In the one start, he went five innings, giving up four runs with a home run and nine hits to take the loss to the Orioles. Even before the injury, last September, Ryu has been declining. There is nothing to say that will not continue. The only good thing for him is he has an offense that can give him plenty of run support, and he is facing a Guardians team that has not been the best on offense.
Why The Guardians Could Cover The Spread
The Guardians' offense is struggling to score. As they have lost eight of their last ten games, they have scored just 23 runs. On the year the Guardians are tied for 26th in the majors in runs scored, while sitting 16th in batting average, 22nd in on-base percentage, and 27th in slugging. In the last week, there has not been a lot of production. As a team, the Guardians are hitting just .209 while scoring just 16 runs in six games. They have also struck out 43 times.
Gabriel Arias has struck out seven times in the last week, but he is also the most productive bat in the lineup as of late. He is hitting .263 with a home run and a double. That has led to him driving in four runs and scoring twice. Meanwhile, only three other guys have had more than one RBI in the last week. First is Will Brennan, who has two RBIs while hitting .222. He has a double and two strikeouts while scoring a run. Jose Ramirez also has two RBIs in the last week while striking out three times. He has one double and has not scored in the last week, despite stealing the bases.
Andres Gimenez rounds on the Guardians with two RBIs in the last week. He is the only other layer outside of Arias who has had a home run in the last week, and he also is the only player on the team with more than two extra-base hits. He has three doubles to go with that home run and has scored three times. Gimenez also has a stolen base. While hitting just .227 in the last week, Gimenez has also struggled with the strikeout. He has struck out seven times in the last six games.
Gavin William will be on the mound today for the guardians. He comes into the game with a 1-3 record and a 3.39 ERA. This year, he has had some good starts. Against the Royals at the end of July he went four innings and have up just three hits with no runs in a Guardians win. The start before that he gave up just one run with five hits in a Guardians victory over the Phillies. This year, the Guardians are 5-3 when he starts.
Final Blue Jays-Guardians Prediction & Pick
While the Guardians may have a small pitching edge in this one, it is very small. Williams has not gone deep into many games, and the offense does not have enough firepower to give him much support. The Guardians do have a quality bullpen on the season, but it has struggled as of late. With how the Blue Jays are hitting, the struggles will continue today. The Blue Jays will be taking this one with some ease.
Final Blue Jays-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Blue Jays -1.5 (+116)
