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The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays will play the second battle of their three-game series at Rogers Centre on Saturday afternoon. It's time to continue our MLB odds coverage with a Yankees-Blue Jays prediction and pick.
The Yankees destroyed the Blue Jays 12-3 at the Rogers Centre on Friday. They entered the fifth inning up 2-1 when Giancarlo Stanton approached the plate. Next, Stanton whacked a solo shot to right field for a home run. It was the 14th home run in 2022 for Stanton and gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead. Then, D.J. LeMahieu crushed a solo dinger to left field for back-to-back home runs. The home run was the sixth in 2022 for him and gave New York a 4-1 advantage.
A few batters later, the Yankees led 6-1 when Anthony Rizzo came up to bat. Then, Rizzo clobbered an absolute bomb to right field for a grand slam home run. The blast was his 17th in 2022 and gave the Yankees an overpowering 10-1 lead. The eight-run inning helped the Yankees build and sustain the lead. Also, it meant starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery did not have much pressure. He tossed six innings, allowing two earned on three hits with five strikeouts. The Yankees are the best team in baseball at 48-16. Meanwhile, the Jays are 37-27, 11 games behind New York, and in second place in the AL East.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Yankees-Blue Jays odds:
MLB odds: Yankees-Blue Jays Odds
Yankees: +1.5 (-184)
Blue Jays: -1.5 (+152)
Over: 8 (-114)
Under: 8 (-106)
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Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The Yankees demolished the Blue Jays last night and did it with a dominating offense and timely pitching. New York will roll with Jameson Taillon today. Taillon is 7-1 with a 2.93 ERA. He has become one of the pleasant surprises for a Yankees' rotation that many considered decent at best except for Gerrit Cole. Taillon went five innings in his last outing, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts. His recent struggles have nearly erased his brilliant start. Taillon has not gone past five innings over his previous two starts. Alternatively, he had been nearly unhittable in the three starts prior. Taillon has faced the Blue Jays twice this season. He threw 5 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits in the game at Yankees Stadium. Also, he tossed six innings, allowing one earned run on five hits in the outing at Rogers Centre.
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Taillon hopes the offense springs to life as it did last night. The top eight hitters in the lineup each had a hit. Rizzo went 2-3 with a grand slam, Stanton went 1 for 4, and Gleyber Torres went 3 for 4. Additionally, the bullpen pitched well, not allowing the Blue Jays to have any chance of coming back. The Yankees rank second in the majors in bullpen ERA, and it is a significant reason they have the best record in baseball.
The Yankees will cover the spread if Taillon dominates. Also, if the bats can give him several runs of support, it will pay dividends. The bullpen must shut down the Toronto lineup, which still has Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in it.
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
The Blue Jays did not play so well last night and will look for redemption. Toronto will go with Alek Manoah on the hill. Manoah is 8-1 with a 1.67 ERA in 2022. He allowed no earned runs on one hit with seven strikeouts through six innings in his last outing. Additionally, Manoah has not allowed an earned run over two starts. He has thrown at least six innings in every start this season. Manoah faced the Yankees once this season and did well against them. In that game on May 3, he tossed six innings, allowing one earned run on three hits. Manoah will hope to replicate that success and get some help from the offense.
The Blue Jays are hurting as Bo Bichette is dealing with an injury. However, they still have plenty of weapons on an offense that is fourth in batting average, fourth in on-base percentage, sixth in home runs, and third in slugging percentage. Guerrero leads the Jays with 16 home runs and 39 RBIs while batting a respectable .267. Additionally, George Springer continues to mash, batting .266 with 12 home runs and 33 RBIs.
The Jays will cover the spread if Manoah can keep the Yankees' ferocious lineup at bay. Also, Toronto covers if they can get to Taillon and secure an early lead.
Final Yankees-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
The pitching matchup is spectacular. Taillon and Manoah will give these fans a show, and eight runs are plenty for both of them to work with. Expect a much lower-scoring game than last night, and look for a brilliant pitching showdown with plenty of swings and misses. The game has 3-2 or 3-1 written all over it. Go with the under in this battle.
Final Yankees-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Under 8 (-106)
