Blue Jays vs. Indians: ALCS Game 2 Odds and Prediction

There could be an early advantage for the starting pitchers in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Blue Jays and Indians in Cleveland  on Saturday as the 4 p.m. ET start time means shadows are likely to play a role for the batters for the first few innings.

Weather won’t be a factor as it will be a very nice day in northeast Ohio so the total won’t be affected on Sports Interaction MLB odds. If the Jays win the game, perhaps it will be the final time they play in Cleveland this season.

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Indians, Game 2

Odds: Toronto -150, Cleveland +130

Total:8.5

Date:  Saturday, Oct. 15, 4 p.m. ET

Location: Progressive Field, Cleveland

Toronto Blue Jays

Cleveland led the American League in steals this season so having a lefty like J.A. Happ on the mound for Saturday’s game should only help Toronto. Happ last took the bump in Game 2 of the ALDS at Texas and got the win, going five innings and allowing one run, nine hits with five strikeouts and a walk. He exited with a 5-1 lead thanks to homers from Troy Tulowitzki (two-run shot in the second inning), Kevin Pillar, Ezequiel Carrera and Edwin Encarnacion (all solo shots in the fifth). Happ was pulled after allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth. It was his first playoff appearance since 2009 with Philadelphia.

Happ was second in the American League during the regular season with 20 wins and sixth with a 3.18 ERA and should receive plenty of Cy Young votes. He faced the Indians once, on July 3 at Rogers Centre, and dominated in allowing one run and five hits over seven innings while striking out a season-high 11 in a 17-1 victory. Meanwhile, Happ was 9-2 with a 3.43 ERA in 17 road starts.

Mike Napoli has faced Happ more than any Indians batter in his career, going 6-for-19 with a double and seven strikeouts. Coco Crisp is 2-for-11 with a double and two RBIs. Carlos Santana is 4-for-10 with a double. Jason Kipnis is 3-for-9 with three doubles. Rajai Davis is 1-for-9. No current Indian has homered off Happ.

Cleveland Indians

The Indians were set to start Trevor Bauer here, but he suffered a non-baseball injury to his pinky that required stitches so he is being pushed back to Monday. So original Game 3 starter Josh Tomlin is moved up to Saturday. The 31-year-old got the win in the clinching Game 3 of the ALCS in Boston, allowing two runs and four hits with four strikeouts against baseball’s highest-scoring team in 2016. Tomlin got into trouble in the fifth, allowing an RBI double to Andrew Benintendi with one out to cut Cleveland’s lead to 2-1. But then Tomlin struck out Sandy Leon and induced an inning-ending groundout to Jackie Bradley Jr. The Indians’ bullpen took over from there.

During the regular season, Tomlin was 13-9 with a 4.40 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 174.0 innings. He had a rough August, going 0-5 with an 11.48 ERA but otherwise was solid throughout. Tomlin was 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA in 15 home appearances (14 starts). Right-handers (.299, 22 HRs, 60 RBIs) hit him much better than lefties did (.229 14 HRs, 31 RBIs) during the season.

Tomlin faced the Jays on Aug. 20 in Cleveland and was roughed up for six runs and nine hits over 4.1 innings in a 6-5 Toronto win. Russell Martin, Melvin Upton Jr. and Edwin Encarnacion all went deep off him. Home runs are a problem for Tomlin as he allowed a whopping 36 of them, third-most in baseball. On Canada Day at Rogers Centre, Tomlin allowed one run and seven hits with eight strikeouts over six innings in a no-decision — the Indians won the game 2-1 in 19 innings.

Blue Jays vs. Indians ALCS Game 2 Prediction

In my opinion, the Jays have the pitching edge in this series until Kluber comes back around for Cleveland. Marco Estrada made one big mistake in Game 1 and ended up paying for it with a series-opening loss as the Jays couldn’t generate any offensive support in a 2-0 loss. Toronto’s bats won’t stay silent, so expect the Jays’ lineup to bounce back quickly in this early-evening start on Saturday. With J.A. Happ on the hill the Jays might just need a couple runs to even this series.