Subscribe
Follow Us
It is an AL East showdown as the Baltimore Orioles visit the Toronto Blue Jays. It is now time to continue our MLB odds series with an Orioles-Blue Jays prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.
The Orioles come into the series after taking two of three from the Yankees over the weekend. The last game of the series with the Yankees was a complete beat-down in favor of the Orioles. The Orioles scored seven runs in the first inning off of Luis Severino. To make matters worse, the Yankees proceeded to strike out 18 times in the game, in one of their worst performances of the year. The Orioles took an easy 9-3 win and moved to 64-41 on the year. That places them in first place in the AL East, 1.5 games over the Tampa Bay Rays. This also gives the Orioles the best record in the American League.
Meanwhile, the Blue Jays won two of three over the Angels over the weekend. The Blue Jays have won five of the last seven games and are 59-47 on the season. That places them 5.5 games back of the Orioles for the division lead. Their record places them tied for the second wild card spot with the Astors, 2.5 games ahead of the Red Sox in the chase for the wild card. To help ensure a post-season birth, the Blue Jays just bolstered their bullpen, adding Jordan Hicks.
Here are the Orioles-Blue Jays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Orioles-Blue Jays Odds
Baltimore Orioles: +1.5 (-182)
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (+150)
Over: 9 (-110)
Under: 9 (-110)
How To Watch Orioles vs. Blue Jays
TV: MASN/SportsNet
Stream: MLB.TV
Time: 7:07 PM ET/ 4:07 PM PT
*Watch MLB games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Orioles Could Cover The Spread
The offense that had struggled to score in their previous five games, finally came alive last night. While losing three out of five, the Orioles managed to score just 14 runs. Then last night, they put nine on the board. On the season, the Orioles are tenth in the majors in runs scored, 17th in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, and tenth in slugging. Last night, Ryan O'Hearn drove in three runs while scoring one as well. This month, O'Hearn is hitting .314 with 115 RBIs. He has done that with the help of three home runs. He also has six doubles and eight runs scored in that time frame, with an OBP of .359.
Adam Frazier also drove in three runs last night with the help of a home run. He is now hitting .286 on the month with four home runs and 14 RBIS. He also has four doubles and has scored nine times this month. Frazier is hitting fairly well too. He is hitting .286 on the month with an OBP of .298. Gunnar Henderson has been driving in a lot of runs this month. While he is hitting just .242 on the month, he has a .318 on-base percentage. Henderson has hit five home runs this month, with two triples and three doubles. He had 14 RBIs this month and has scored 18 times as well. This continued great work has made Henderson the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year.
Adley Rutschman also drove in a run last night. This month he has three home runs and 12 RBIs. He is hitting .284 on the month with an OBP of .364. Rutschman also hit six doubles, which has helped him score 15 runs this month. Joining Rutschman in scoring a lot of runs is Anthony Santander. Not only does he lead the team in RBIs and home runs, but he has also scored 13 times this month. He is hitting .238 on the month, with a .336 on-base percentage. Santander has driven in 11 runs this month, with four home runs and seven doubles. After striking out 13 times in eight games heading into the series with the Yankees, he struck out just one time in the series.
The Orioles will be sending Kyle Gibson to the mound in this one. He is 9-6 on the season with a 4.68 ERA. Meanwhile, he has been better on the road than at home. He is 5-3 on the road with a 4.14 ERA. While last time out was solid, giving up two runs in six innings, he has not won a game since July 9th. Still, he had been consistent this month, with an ERA are 4.75, almost right at his season average.
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover The Spread
For the Blue Jays, winning starts with quality pitching. They are second in team ERA this year while sitting 11th in WHIP and seventh in opponent batting average. They are also fourth in quality starts. Chris Bassit will be taking the mound for the Blue Jays in this one. He is 10-5 on the season with a 3.91 ERA. Bassit has not recorded a loss in a start since June 13th. That was also against the Orioles. Still, this month he has been solid. He has pitched 27 innings with a 3.33 ERA on the month while recording two wins.
Meanwhile, the offense has been solid this year. The Jays offense is tied for 13th in runs scored, fifth in batting average, eighth in on-base percentage, and ninth in slugging. Bo Bichette leads the team in batting average this year with a .318 average. That is good for fourth in the league. This month he has continued to hit well. Bichette is hitting .323 on the month with a .362 on-base percentage. He has three home runs and five doubles while driving in 11 runs this month. Bichette has also scored eight times this month.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the team in home runs and RBIs this year. He is tied for 18th in the majors in RBIs with 66 on the year. This month, Guerrero has five home runs and 15 RBIS. Meanwhile, he has hit three doubles and scored 16 times while hitting .244. While drawing 12 walks, he has an OBP of .330 on the month. Still, the hottest bat on the team may belong to White Merrifield. Merrifield is hitting .464 over the last week. In that time he has two doubles, two home runs, scored six times, and has driven in seven runs.
Final Orioles-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
The last time that Chris Bassitt lost a game, it was to the Orioles. He gave up eight runs and three home runs in just three innings. He also gave up 11 hits and a walk in those three innings of work. His issue has been he struggles against left-handed batters. His opponent's batting average is 70 points higher against lefties, as he has given up 11 more home runs and 21 more RBIs to left-handed pitching this year. This is all done in 30 fewer at-bats. The Orioles will most likely send six guys to the plate that will be batting left-handed. For as good as Bassit has been, the Orioles will hit him hard today. Take the Orioles and the runs in this one.
Final Orioles-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Orioles +1.5 (-182)
