The top two teams in the American League East go head-to-head on Monday evening as the New York Yankees look to extend their winning streak to 10 games on the road against the Toronto Blue Jays. It is time to take a sneak peek at our MLB odds series, where our Yankees-Blue Jays prediction and pick will be made.
Winners of nine consecutive contests, the Bronx is officially buzzing, as their Yankees sit at 16-6 and are 1.5 games in front of the Blue Jays for first place in the division. On the bump for this one will be LHP Jordan Montgomery, who has looked impressive thus far in 2022 in his comeback from Tommy John surgery with an 0-1 record and a 2.70 ERA in four starts.
Toronto is coming off a series win at home against the Houston Astros and will look to do the same in an extremely vital trio of matchups versus New York. Righty Ross Stripling will test his luck against the big bats of the Yankees, as he will be making his first appearance versus New York of the season on Monday.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Yankees-Blue Jays odds.
MLB odds: Yankees-Blue Jays Odds
New York Yankees: -1.5 (+136)
Toronto Blue Jays: +1.5 (-164)
Over: 8.5 (-108)
Under: 8.5 (-112)
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Why the Yankees Could Cover the Spread
Officially the hottest team in all of baseball, the Yankees are finding multiple ways to punish the opposition and find ways to rack up victories in the win column. In New York's 6-4 triumph over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, Yankees star Aaron Judge showcased his powerful strength by swatting two home runs over the fence and finished with three RBI on the day.
During their MLB-leading winning streak, the Yankees have scored double digit runs four times and crossed the plate 67 times. As a total, New York is fifth with 106 runs scored in 22 games. The most successful franchise in baseball and arguably in all of sports, the Yankees have been no strangers in hitting the long ball and spanking extra base hits on the season, as New York has the third-highest slugging percentage at .425.
Paving the way offensively has been first baseman Anthony Rizzo, as the former Cub leads the club in both home runs with nine and RBI at 21. Rizzo has been locked in at the plate and is experiencing one of his most productive starts to a campaign in his career.
On the hill, the Yankees have proven to be just as efficient. Their 2.72 ERA is good for second in the majors, and the New York arms could be a major reason why they will have a chance to cover the spread on Monday versus a major rival.
Enter southpaw Jordan Montgomery, who will give the Yankees a tremendous shot in extending their prolonged winning streak. Montgomery is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA in his seven career starts against the Blue Jays.
Why the Blue Jays Could Cover the Spread
With a record of 15-8, including 9-4 at home through 23 games, the Blue Jays will look to inch closer to the top of the pack with a win Monday evening. Entering 2022, Toronto gave off the impression that the bats at the plate had the potential to be as deadly as any other ball club in Major League Baseball. What many baseball fans didn't expect from Toronto would be the dramatic success in one-run contests, as the Blue Jays have showed off their clutch gene in going 9-2 in that category.
Toronto is as well-balanced as they come, as their hitting and pitching prowess are infuriating to their foes. The Blue Jays aren't too far behind the Yankees in making opposing arms pay at the plate slugging wise, as they have the fourth-best percentage at .410. In fact, Toronto possesses a league-leading 31 round-trippers and are averaging roughly 1.3 of them per nine innings. Another underrated part of their hitting game has been their ability to make contact at the plate, as they only strike out roughly 8.3 times per game.
Do the Blue Jays have what it takes to hold the New York offensive attack at bay? If Ross Stripling can achieve even a slice of containment, then consider Toronto a near lock in covering the spread on Monday. Stripling would surely love to get the monkey off his back, as the 32-year-old veteran is 0-4 with a 4.50 ERA lifetime against the Yankees.
Against the spread, Toronto has surprisingly struggled and has only accumulated a 9-13 record.
Final Yankees-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
It is hard to pick against the Yankees and their nine-game winning streak, but the Blue Jays are the one team that could keep this one close. These two squads split their first four-game series at two apiece a couple weeks back, and this one should be fairly close as well. While the Yankees may ultimately win, Toronto should stay within a run the majority of the way and will cover the +1.5 spread in doing so.
Final Yankees-Blue Jays Pick: Blue Jays +1.5 (-164)
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