Toronto Blue Jays vs. Washington Nationals: Odds, Prediction
After dropping two of three games in Seattle over the weekend, the Toronto Blue Jays will open a quick two-game set against the Nationals in Washington on Tuesday, before heading home this weekend. The Jays need to start piling some wins up as they’re 4.5 games back of Boston for the final AL wild card spot and they still need to leapfrog the Yankees in the standings to even be in position to take that spot.
Toronto is favoured to win on the MLB odds with a total of 9.0.
Betting Analysis
This is the second series between these teams this season after they split a two-game set in Dunedin in April. They’ve only met six times over the past three seasons and are tied with a 3-3 record. The Over has hit in the last three games.
This is a big opportunity for the Jays to make up for a poor weekend. Toronto is 8-3 straight up in their last 11 games against the Nats and they’ve won five of their last six games in Washington. The total has gone Over in four of the Blue Jays’ last five games overall.
Washington is spiralling right now. The Nationals have dropped seven straight games overall and seven straight at home. The total has gone Over in 12 of their last 15 games overall and Under in four of their last five against American League teams.
Toronto Blue Jays
It’s no secret that the Blue Jays’ bats have kept them alive this season. Toronto is second in the MLB with a .265 batting average and they lead the league with a 4.58 slugging percentage and 178 home runs. They’re the fifth-highest scoring team in the majors, averaging 5.2 runs per game overall and 4.7 runs on the road. The main injury concern at the moment is George Springer, who is day-to-day with an ankle sprain. In 59 games this season, Springer is hitting .274 with 16 home runs and 35 RBIs. There’s no word yet, on Springer’s availability for Tuesday.
Right-hander Alek Manoah will get the start on the mound for Toronto on Tuesday. Manoah has been a surprisingly big part of the team this year, with some Rookie of the Year debates even beginning, despite his late start to the season. This will be his 12th start since his big-league debut on May 27. Over 59 innings, Manoah has a 5-1 record with a 2.59 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. He has 71 strikeouts and has held opposing batters to a .181 average. Manoah’s last start was on Wednesday against the Angels. He went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs and giving up five hits in a 10-2 win.
Washington Nationals
The Nats hosted the Atlanta Braves over the weekend, dropping all three games by a combined score of 22-9. It wasn’t exactly a surprise, as Washington is 10-30 since July 1 and they sit last in the NL East. It’s not all bad news for the Nationals, however. Six of their last 11 losses have come by just one run and their offence has the sixth-most hits in the majors. The team is batting .257 (fourth) with a .413 slugging percentage (12th) and 131 total homers (22nd). They’re averaging 4.3 runs per game overall, but that actually dips to 4.1 runs at home.
The Nationals will try to slow down Toronto’s bats with their own right-hander, Erick Fedde. It hasn’t been a great season for Fedde, who is 4-8 in 19 starts. Over 91 1/3 total innings, he has a 5.12 ERA and 1.42 WHIP. In eight starts since the beginning of July, Fedde’s ERA jumps even higher, to 7.00. Consistency has been his biggest issue. In his last start on Thursday, Fedde gave up two earned runs over four innings and didn’t get the decision for his 10th straight game without a win. He’s allowed at least three runs in seven of his last 10 starts and he could be ripe for the picking for Toronto’s offence on Tuesday.
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