The New York Yankees will take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the first of a three-game set in Florida. It’s time to continue our MLB odds series and make a Yankees-Blue Jays prediction and pick.
New York is coming off a huge win against the Tampa Bay Rays to salvage the series on Sunday. Toronto had Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Angels postponed due to weather. The Blue Jays took the opening series against the Yankees and will look to repeat that performance in this AL East affair.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Yankees-Blue Jays odds.
MLB Odds: Yankees-Blue Jays Odds
New York Yankees -1.5 (-124)
Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 (+104)
Over 9 Runs (-112)
Under 9 Runs (-108)
Why The Yankees Could Cover The Spread
The Yankees started the season 3-2 before losing three of their last four games coming in. They currently sit two games behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East standings. The Yankees had a huge bounce-back performance against the Rays on Sunday, coming from behind to force extra innings. New York piled on four runs in extras to secure an 8-4 victory to avoid the sweep. Newly acquired infielder Rougned Odor broke the tie with a two-out single to drive in what would be the winning run. Gio Urshela broke the game open with a three-run homer to seal the deal.
New York currently holds the 13th-best team batting average at .238. DJ LeMahieu leads the squad with 11 hits and 17 total bases. Gio Urshela has been great for the Yankees as well, adding 10 hits and four RBI. New York will turn to ace Gerrit Cole for this series opener. Cole struck out 21 batters combined in his first two starts of the season. He has been great against Toronto in his career, going 3-0 with a 2.97 ERA across five starts. The Yankees are 5-1 in Cole's last six starts following a quality start in his previous outing.
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
The Blue Jays got off to a hot start as they took the the opening series against the Yankees. They then proceeded to struggle, losing their next two series against the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Blue Jays bounced back in a big way in their 15-1 victory against the Angels on Saturday. Toronto is currently the 18th-best offensive team in baseball with a team batting average of .222. The Blue Jays will certainly have their hands full against Gerrit Cole and a strong Yankees pitching staff.
Randal Grichuk and Vlad Guerrero Jr. have led the way for the Blue Jays with 11 hits and eight RBI each. Bo Bichette has also been productive this season, adding 10 hits of his own. Toronto will hand the ball to left-hander Robbie Ray for the first time this season. Ray is coming off a phenomenal Spring Training, where he went 2-1 with a 1.98 ERA over four starts. This will be his first start of the season after ending up on the IL with a bruised elbow to start the year.
Final Yankees-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
Many are likely to pick the Yankees to win every time Gerrit Cole is on the bump, and rightfully so. He is arguably the best pitcher in baseball and has been lights out to open the season. Cole has dominated Toronto over his career and had a solid outing against the Blue Jays in the season opener. The Yankees' bats finally woke up in the 10th inning of Sunday's game against the Rays, which could be a scary sight for the rest of the league. The bullpen has been incredible for New York and could be the difference in this game.
FINAL PICK: New York Yankees -1.5 (-124)
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