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The Toronto Blue Jays take on the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of a Saturday doubleheader. Check out our MLB odds series for our Blue Jays Guardians prediction and pick.
Ross Stripling goes to the hill for the Blue Jays in Game 2 of this Saturday doubleheader. Triston McKenzie takes the bump for the Guardians.
Stripling has a 3.79 ERA. He started the year as a reliever but has done some work as a spot starter in his big-league career. Formerly with the Dodgers and now with the Blue Jays, Stripling has carved out a niche as a good back-end rotation man and long reliever, depending on what his team needs from him. He has started several games this season due to the injury suffered by Toronto pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu, who — interestingly enough — is also a former Dodger who became a Blue Jay. Stripling has helped the Jays stay competitive in the first month of the season. He isn't asked to dominate, just give five innings and not get blown out. That is exactly what he has done. Five innings and two runs per outing is all the Jays can ask of him, and he has delivered.
Triston McKenzie has a 2.70 ERA. He was strong in his most recent outing, a 6 1/3-inning shutout of the Oakland Athletics on May 1. He scattered four hits and allowed only one walk while striking out seven. He has long arms and an effective, whipping delivery which is hard for hitters to pick up. He has allowed more than two runs in only one outing this season and is a cornerstone member of this pitching rotation. His quality is something to note when you look at the Blue Jays Guardians odds for this nightcap on Saturday.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Blue Jays-Guardians MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Guardians Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+134)
Cleveland Guardians: +1.5 (-162)
Over: 7.5 (-118)
Under: 7.5 (-104)
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Why The Blue Jays Could Cover the Spread
The Blue Jays were leading the Guardians 7-1 in the fifth inning of Game 1 of this Saturday doubleheader when this article was published. If you have noticed, the Blue Jays were really struggling to hit over the past week, but one of the reasons for that is that they were facing good pitching staffs. They had to deal with the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, and have generally played a lot of the American League's better teams in the first five weeks of the season. They scored five runs against the Guardians on Thursday night, and they obviously came out ready to rake in Game 1 on Saturday. If their bats are revved up, this becomes a different and much better Toronto team.
What is also notable is that Teoscar Hernandez, an elite hitter who has been injured for the past several weeks, has been activated from the injured list and has joined the Blue Jays in Cleveland for this series. This is something to keep in mind when making a Blue Jays Guardians prediction.
Why The Guardians Could Cover the Spread
After getting pushed around in the early stages of Game 1 of this doubleheader, the Guardians are likely to reset the dial and come out strong in Game 2. They are going up against Ross Stripling, a solid but hardly dominant pitcher. They have Triston McKenzie, one of their better starters, on the hill. They have to like the pitching matchup, and they have to like the fact that after playing a poor game in the lid-lifter, they should play a better game in the nightcap.
What is also notable is that Cleveland split a doubleheader earlier this week against the San Diego Padres, a very good team. Cleveland lost Game 1 and came back to win Game 2. This team has shown resiliency in doubleheaders this season.
Final Blue Jays-Guardians Prediction & Pick
If McKenzie pitches up to his capabilities, the Guardians can contain the Jays' bats. They might not win, but they're getting a run and a half. Cleveland is good value here.
Final Blue Jays-Guardians Prediction & Pick: Guardians +1.5
