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The Toronto Blue Jays head to the Bronx to take on the New York Yankees in an exciting opening day matchup. Baseball is back and this year, so are the fans. Yankee Stadium will have 10,000 fans in attendance for today's game. Both teams have high expectations coming into the 2021 season and rightfully so. Toronto has built an explosive young roster that finally made its way back into the postseason last year. New York is trotting out the same lethal lineup with a revamped pitching rotation. The Yankees are currently the third most likely team to win the World Series, according to oddsmakers. The 2020 season series between these two teams was split at five games apiece. It’s time to kick off our MLB odds series and make a Blue Jays-Yankees prediction and pick.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Blue Jays-Yankees odds.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Yankees Odds
Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 (-130)
New York Yankees -1.5 (+110)
Over 7.5 Runs (-125)
Under 7.5 Runs (+105)
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
The Toronto Blue Jays are going to be one of the most exciting teams in baseball to watch. They have a ton of pop up and down their lineup and play with loads of energy. With guys like Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, and Teoscar Hernandez on the lineup card, the Jays have a chance to outscore their opponents every time they hit the field. Toronto also sent waves across the league when it signed center fielder George Springer to a six-year $150 million dollar deal in the offseason. The Blue Jays averaged 5.03 runs per game in 2020, which was good for seventh in the league.
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Toronto will have lefty ace Hyun-jin Ryu on the bump against the Bronx Bombers. Ryu took a huge leap and had the best season of his career in 2020. He was 5-2 with a 2.69 ERA in the shortened 60-game season. Ryu has struggled to neutralize the Yankees over his career but did have a solid outing in his lone start against New York last year. He held the Yanks to just one run over six innings. Ryu and the Jays will also be fortunate enough to not have to see 2020 AL home run leader Luke Voit in the opening day lineup due to injury.
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
It seems like the New York Yankees have entered each of the last five seasons as “World Series favorites.” This Yankees group is locked and loaded for yet another season full of high expectations and inevitable injuries. Manager Aaron Boone described this lineup better than anyone when he referred to his guys as “savages in the box.” This rant led to his ejection of course, but Boone wasn't wrong. Led by sluggers Aaron Judge and Gleyber Torres, the New York Yankees averaged 5.25 runs per game in 2020, which was good for fourth in baseball. The Bronx Bombers have a nice matchup against Ryu as they've had his number. Ryu is 1-2 with a 6.02 ERA against the Yankees in his career. Get him out early and feast on a below-average bullpen, which was 17th in the league in ERA last season.
The Yankees will always be the favorites when Gerrit Cole trots out and rightfully so. The AL Cy Young favorite is arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball. Cole added another dominant season to his resume in 2020, going 7-3 with a 2.84 ERA. He has lights-out stuff and the rare capability of going deep into games. Leave no doubt about it, Cole is one of the best strikeout pitchers in the league as well. Gerrit has a nice matchup against the Blue Jays. He is 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA against Toronto in his career and gave up just one run in 14 innings against the Jays last season. He has the luxury of seeing a Toronto lineup that will be without George Springer.
Final Blue Jays-Yankees Prediction & Pick
I'm excited to watch two of the best lineups in baseball slug it out. I see this game being full of offense, despite having a Cy Young favorite on the bump. The Yankees are a force to be reckoned with and have feasted off of Hyun-jin Ryu during his career. You know the savages will be aggressive and confident at the plate. With Toronto's below-average bullpen, look for the Yankees to get after Ryu, work deep into counts, and get him out early. Get to that pen and it'll be time for some tape-measure shots. The Jays have enough energy and pop to put runs on the board against anyone as well. These teams collectively scored 10.28 runs per game, which is well over the 7.5 total. I like the Yankees to win this game, but don't be surprised if Toronto puts runs on the board late to make it a ballgame.
FINAL PICK: Over 7.5 (-125)
