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The Toronto Blue Jays take on the Seattle Mariners. Our MLB odds series has our Blue Jays Mariners prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Blue Jays Mariners.
The Toronto Blue Jays are chasing the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles for the American League East Division championship, but that's a secondary point of concern right now. The main focus for the Jays, tied with Houston for the second American League wild card spot, is to maintain that postseason position over the remaining two months of the regular season. The Jays have to fend off the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels, and the team they will face this weekend for a three-game series, the Seattle Mariners. Toronto leads Boston by three games, the Yankees by four, and the Angels by five.
The Mariners are right behind the Angels. They are definitely within striking distance of the Jays and Astros for that final playoff spot, but the problem is that they have to pass four teams to make the postseason. That is hard to do for any team, but especially for a Seattle ballclub which has struggled to hit with runners in scoring position this year and needs a high-impact bat before the trade deadline. The Mariners, who are finishing up a 10-game homestand out of the All-Star break with this weekend series versus Toronto, are 3-4 on that homestand, having lost two of three to the Detroit Tigers and then splitting a four-game series with the Minnesota Twins. The Mariners badly need to win this series and generate some upward momentum before the trade deadline.
Here are the Blue Jays-Mariners MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Mariners Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: +1.5 (-215)
Seattle Mariners: -1.5 (+176)
Over: 8 (-110)
Under: 8 (-110)
How To Watch Blue Jays vs. Mariners
TV: Sportsnet (Blue Jays) / Root Sports (Mariners) / MLB Extra Innings
Stream: MLB.tv
Time: 10:10 p.m. ET/7:10 p.m. PT
Article Continues Below
*Watch Blue Jays-Mariners LIVE on fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
Yusei Kikuchi is the starter for Toronto in this game. He was horrible last season and has been much, much better this season. He hasn't been spectacular, but he has been good — good enough to stabilize the rotation and compensate for the unexpected struggles of Alek Manoah, who was supposed to be a top-two pitcher in the rotation and a source of a lot of wins for the Jays this year. Kikuchi is not a great innings-eater. He rarely gets through six complete innings and sometimes doesn't even make it through five whole innings, but he has limited damage consistently this season, staying out of the big inning and giving his team a chance to win. If Kikuchi, who was a good starter for the Seattle Mariners before moving to Toronto, can pitch five innings and give up one run, the Jays should like their chances, since their bullpen — which has been solid this year — can lock up the struggling Seattle bats in the later innings. Toronto will also have a huge home crowd in Seattle. Canadians from Vancouver and elsewhere normally pack the ballyard in the Pacific Northwest for this series each summer.
Why The Mariners Could Cover The Spread
The Jays might have the fans in the stands, but the Mariners have done extremely well against the Jays in Seattle the past few years. They swept a four-game series last year against Toronto, marking one of the lowest points for the Blue Jays in 2022. Seattle generally outplays the Jays, having also won the 2022 American League Wild Card Series last fall in Canada.
That point aside, Bryce Miller — the young fireballer for the Mariners — is a strong starting pitcher. He has a 3.66 ERA and has bolstered the Seattle rotation this year. The Blue Jays have a lot of talent in their lineup, but they have been noticeably inconsistent. They scored just five runs in their recent three-game series at home versus the San Diego Padres. They have not gotten strong seasons from Vladimir Guerrero, Daulton Varsho, Alejandro Kirk, and others. Miller should be able to handcuff this Toronto batting order.
Final Blue Jays-Mariners Prediction & Pick
The Yusei Kikuchi plot point is interesting, but the key to the game is Bryce Miller against the feast-or-famine Jays. Give Miller the edge and take Seattle.
Final Blue Jays-Mariners Prediction & Pick: Mariners -1.5
