The Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies will begin a brief two-game series at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our MLB odds series, which includes a Blue Jays-Phillies prediction and pick, laid out below.
Toronto has gone 6-4 in their last ten games, bringing their record to 83-64, second place in the AL East, and atop the AL Wild Card standings. Toronto is closing in on the Yankees, just five and a half games out of the top spot in the division. Hot on the trail is Tampa Bay, just one game behind Toronto.
Philadelphia is in third place in the NL East, with an 80-66 record, 12.5 games behind New York for the top spot in the division. While the division is likely out of reach, Philadelphia is clinging to the final NL Wild Card spot. Philadelphia is just two and a half games ahead of Milwaukee for the final spot.
Here are the Blue Jays-Phillies MLB betting odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Phillies Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+142)
Philadelphia Phillies: +1.5 (-172)
Over: 8.5 (-115)
Under: 8.5 (-105)
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
Ross Stripling will be tonight's starting pitcher for Toronto, bringing an 8-4 record with a 2.94 ERA and 102 strikeouts in 119.1 innings this season. Stripling will be making his 30th appearance and 22nd start of the season. As a starting pitcher, Stripling owns a 2.82 ERA with 91 strikeouts in 108.1 innings. Batters are hitting just .219 against Stripling, and the righty has walked a career-low 4.2 percent of the batters he has faced.
Despite a recent blowup, closer Jordan Romano headlines a pretty strong bullpen. Romano has saved 34 games this season, with 64 strikeouts in 57.2 innings. In five less games so far this season than last year, Romano has already set a career-high in saves. David Phelps, Yimi Garcia, and Tim Mayza are the three other relievers with ERAs below 3.00, relying more on their abilities to limit solid contact than strikeout stuff. Sidearmer Adam Cimber is fourth on the team with ten wins.
Vlad Guerrero, Jr. leads the team with 29 home runs, ranking second with 34 doubles and 85 RBI. Bo Bichette leads the team with 89 RBI and 42 doubles, adding 24 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Matt Chapman is second with 26 home runs, plus his usual elite defense at third base. Alejandro Kirk leads the team with a .295 batting average, adding 13 home runs and 19 doubles, walking more than he has struck out. George Springer leads the team with 13 stolen bases, adding 21 home runs. Lourdes Gurriel is second on the team with a .291 batting average, adding 32 doubles, which ranks third on the team. Toronto is third in the league with 284 doubles.
Why The Phillies Could Cover The Spread
Kyle Gibson will take the ball for Philadelphia in this one, with a 10-6 record and 4.45 ERA, striking out 125 in 151.2 innings. Batters have hit just .205 against Gibson's slider, which he throws about 20 percent of the time. Philadelphia's bullpen struggles were remedied with the deadline pickup of David Robertson. Robertson, who pitched for the team early in 2019 before going down with Tommy John surgery, has a 2.95 ERA with six saves and 25 strikeouts in 18.1 innings since coming to Philadelphia. Seranthony Dominguez, who battled arm issues for much of the last three years, has appeared in 49 games, with a 2.51 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 46.2 innings.
Bryce Harper coming back is the best thing to happen to this Philadelphia team. Harper has hit 17 home runs and 26 doubles in just 84 games this season. Kyle Schwarber ranks second in all of baseball with 39 home runs, and is leading the team with 81 RBI. Rhys Hoskins is second on the team with 28 home runs, leading the team with 27 doubles. JT Realmuto is closing in on an impressive 20/20 season, with 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases. Nick Castellanos leads the team with 27 doubles in his first season with Philadelphia.
Alec Bohm leads the team with a .289 batting average, adding 12 home runs and 22 doubles. Philadelphia has also gotten production from Jean Segura, albeit in limited time. Playing in just 83 games, Segura has belted 10 home runs, and ranks second on the team with 13 stolen bases. The second baseman is slashing .281/.337/.411 on the season. Segura is the seventh and final Phillie to hit double-digit home runs. Hulking rookie Darick Hall is lurking in Triple-A after hitting nine home runs in just 38 games this season. Philadelphia ranks sixth in the league with 187 home runs and ninth with 91 stolen bases.
Final Blue Jays-Phillies Prediction & Pick
I will put my faith in Stripling and the Toronto bullpen here.
Final Blue Jays-Phillies Prediction & Pick: Toronto -1.5 (+142), over 8.5 (-115)
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