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The Baltimore Orioles took game one of this AL East showdown as they continue their visit with 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.
Last night it was a 4-2 win for the Baltimore Orioles. They took an early lead on a Ryan Mountcastle double that scored Ryan O'Hearn and Anthony Santander. Gunnar Henderson added a home run in the third, and Mountcastle got his third RBI on the night with a sacrifice fly in that inning to get the Orioles a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, Kyle Gibson pitched great. He did not allow a run until the fifth inning on a Kevin Kiermaier fielder's choice and left the game with a 4-1 lead. Whit Merrifield added a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth and almost tied the game up in the bottom of the ninth. With two men on and down two with one out, Merrifield hit a liner to the outfield, but Austin Hays made a game-saving catch, and the Orioles got the win.
Both squads are expected to be busy today. The Orioles are looking at pitching today and maybe adding another quality arm to their staff before the trade deadline. The Blue Jays will be looking to add a bat, and that may be more important now with the potential for Bo Bichette to miss some time after leaving the game yesterday.
Here are the Orioles-Blue Jays MLB odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
MLB Odds: Orioles-Blue Jays Odds
Baltimore Orioles: -1.5 (+168)
Toronto Blue Jays: +1.5 (-205)
Over: 8.5 (-112)
Under: 8.5 (-108)
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 Orioles just keep finding ways to win. Two nights ago it was the offense that led them, scoring nine runs against the Yankees. Last night, it was the pitching that held the Blue Jays to just two runs to get the win. As a staff, the Orioles rank 15th in team ERA, 19th in WHIP, and 20th in opponent batting average. They will be sending Kyle Bradish to the mound today to hopefully get the win. He is 6-6 on the season with a 3.29 ERA. July was an up-and-down month for Bradish. He had three starts of going six or more innings giving up one or fewer runs. Still, his last time out he gave up five runs in 6.2 innings against the Phillies. For the month he ended with a 2-3 record and a 2.25 ERA.
On the offensive side of things, the Orioles are tenth in the majors in runs scored, 17th in batting average, 19th in on-base percentage, and tenth in slugging. It was Ryan Mountcastle that had the big night last night. He drove in three more runs and that gave him seven RBIs on the month. He also hit two home runs and five doubles in July. Mountcastle ended the month with a .350 batting average, with seven runs scored as well. Gunnar Henderson drove in another run last night, come thing he has done all month. While he is hitting just .245 on the month, he has a .324 on-base percentage. Henderson hit six home runs in July, with 15 RBIs. He also added three doubles and two triples, while scoring 19 times on the month.
Meanwhile, Ryan O'Hearn scored again last night, while going 2-4 at the plate. In July, O'Heran scored nine times while driving in 15 runs. He did this while hitting .324 with a .366 OBP. That was aided by three home runs and six doubles on the month. Joining O'Hearnin 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 15 times in July. He hit just .232 on the month, but he did have a .342 on-base percentage. He also drove in 111 runs with the help of four home runs and eight doubles.
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 tied for fourth in quality starts. It will be Hyun Jin Ryu coming off the 60-Day IL to make the start today. It will be his season debut in this one, and just his seventh start in the last two years. He underwent Tommy John's surgery and was already showing signs of decline before missing the last year. With how much the bullpen has been taxed lately, they need some innings for Ryu in this one.
Meanwhile, the offense has been solid this year. The Jays offense is tied for 14th 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 .321 average. That is good for fourth in the league. He went 2-2 last night before leaving the game, but he is currently considered day-to-day. If he cannot go, that is a huge loss for the offense. Meanwhile, Whit Merrifield is tenth in the majors with a .303 batting average on the season. He has RBIs in each of his last five games and drove in 20 runs in July. He did this while hitting seven home runs and hitting .356.
Merriefield's power has been welcome, considering Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has not been hitting as many. Still, 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. July saw Guerrero hit just five home runs, but four have come since he won the home run derby. He also has 15 RBIS on the month and scored 16 times. Still, he is struggling some, as he hit just .239 in July.
Final Orioles-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick
The Orioles won last night even when the pitching match-up did not favor them. Tonight, the pitching matchup does favor them. First, the Orioles hit much better on the road than at home. The Orioles rank fifth in runs scored on the road for the season. Second, the Orioles hit well against left-handed pitching. In six games against lefties in July, they scored four or more runs in five of them. Finally, this is the first start for Ryu since missing over a year. Ryu is going to struggle today. With him struggling, the Orioles are going to score with ease. The Orioles team total over 4.5 is currently at +106 and should be worth a play as they will win this game as well.
Final Orioles-Blue Jays Prediction & Pick: Orioles -1.5 (+168)