An intriguing matchup pitting two American League teams looking to get off on the right foot this weekend will square off on the diamond as the Detroit Tigers continue their road trip to “The Six” to take on the Toronto Blue Jays for game two of this series. It is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Tigers-Blue Jays prediction and pick will be revealed.
The Tigers enter Friday's matchup after not looking the part defensively in the opening series loss 5-3 on Thursday. In the loss, Detroit made a pair of errors and surrendered two unearned runs that ended up being the difference in the ballgame. Looking to inspire the troops with a strong outing from the mound, righty Bryan Garcia will be making his season debut after his contract was selected from Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.
Toronto was able to take advantage of a shorthanded Cardinals unit by taking two of three against St. Louis at Rogers Centre. The homestand continues with the Tigers in town, as Toronto has been able to reel off a 32-20 record in front of their fans. Additionally, the Blue Jays will send out RHP Alek Manoah in hopes to stay in the thick of things in the AL Wild Card Race. Manoah is an impressive 11-4 with a 2.24 ERA in his 19 games started.
Here are the Tigers-Blue Jays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Tigers-Blue Jays Odds
Detroit Tigers: +1.5 (+146)
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (-178)
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
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Why The Tigers Could Cover The Spread
At 40-60, the Tigers' season is certainly on the brink of being gone forever, as it is going to take a miraculous winning effort from the entire roster if they want any sniff at a postseason spot in a couple of months. It hasn't been all sunshine and roses for the Tigers this season, but there are a few aspects in this one that could give them the ability to cover the spread out on the road.
Regardless, Detroit will attempt to right their wrongs from yesterday's defeat in Toronto. To begin, the Tigers must figure out a way to take advantage of the moment when given the right opportunity to make some noise. Detroit failed to do this on Thursday when they were able to load up the bases in the eighth inning with no outs but scored only once on a sacrifice fly. In addition, the left side of the infield did not do the teams any favors as well.
With throwing errors by third-baseman Jeimer Candelario and shortstop Javier Baez, the Tigers were as sloppy as it gets. Without a doubt, playing a clean game that is as mistake-free as possible may be the greatest chance the Tigers have of stealing a game up north against their American League counterparts.
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
In a crowded AL East division, the Blue Jays have proven that they can hang. Above all else, the Blue Jays are supplied with an incredible surplus of talent at nearly every position on the diamond. Because of this, along with some timely play, Toronto has seen their record reach eleven games above the .500 mark at 55-44 overall. Leading the way in the Wild Card race as the top team in the AL, the sky is the limit for a team with big aspirations as the calendar year transitions from July to August.
To begin, the Blue Jays will already have a major advantage in covering the spread when Alek Manoah steps onto the mound to face off with the Tigers. Manoah has been nothing short of magnificent. The stellar righty has only surrendered two runs in his previous three starts combined. On the year, Toronto's most efficient starter has the fifth-lowest ERA while possessing the fifth-best WHIP at 0.97.
Even more so, it may be the Blue Jays' offense that may be the most dangerous part of their roster. Heading into the season, many baseball experts predicted that this squad's bats would be among the best in all of the major leagues. Coincidentally, they weren't far off at all. In preparation to play their 100th game of the campaign, Toronto is ranked near the top in numerous amount of hitting statistical categories. With the third-most runs, the top batting average, the second-rated on-base percentage, and the highest-slugging percentage, the Blue Jays force opposing pitching to pick their poison when facing off with them. Simply put, this unit will be the main reason that they cover the spread and give the home fans in Toronto something to cheer about on Friday night.
Final Tigers-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
Both sides couldn't possibly trending in opposite directions with only a couple months of play remaining, and this should be on display in this one. With Manoah on the rubber and the offense clicking on all cylinders, siding with the Blue Jays to cover the -1.5 run spread makes too much sense.
Final Tigers-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Blue Jays -1.5 (-178)
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