Toronto Blue Jays vs. Philadelphia Phillies: Odds, Prediction
The Blue Jays begin a six-game road trip against likely playoff teams on Tuesday night by visiting the Philadelphia Phillies. The Phillies opened as short favourites on the MLB odds.
Betting Analysis
It’s possible, albeit unlikely, this series is a World Series preview. Barring an epic collapse, the Blue Jays are going to earn one of the AL Wild-Card spots. The Phillies should earn an NL spot, but it’s not a sure thing yet.
A reminder that the Phillies are being run by interim manager Rob Thomson, the Sarnia, Ontario native who took over for the fired Joe Girardi in early June. The team is 58-37 under Thomson, so he should get the full-time gig. When Philadelphia visited Toronto from July 12-13, with the Jays winning both, Thomson became the first Canadian to manage a major league game in his home country. He is the first Canadian-born manager in the big leagues since Pittsburgh’s George Gibson was fired in June 1934.
In the last trip, the Phillies were without two regulars in catcher JT Realmuto and Alec Bohm and starting pitchers Aaron Nola and Kyle Gibson because they weren’t vaccinated for COVID.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Jays really could have dealt the Baltimore Orioles’ Wild-Card chances a near death blow on Sunday by sweeping the Birds at Rogers Centre, but Baltimore won by scoring three runs in the top of the ninth inning off Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano. The blown save was Romano’s fifth. All-Star catcher Alejandro Kirk missed his fifth straight game with a hip injury but is likely to return Tuesday. George Springer suffered a right elbow contusion after he was hit by a pitch but didn’t leave the game. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was 2-for-3 with a homer and is hitting .333 in a 12-game hitting streak. Danny Jansen stayed hot with a homer and is batting .388 in his past 18 games with four homers.
It’s Ross Stripling (8-4, 2.94 ERA) scheduled on the mound Tuesday. He beat Tampa Bay last time out, allowing a run and three hits over 6.1 innings. Stripling also beat the Phillies on July 13, giving up two runs over seven. He is 2-0 with a 4.08 ERA in 35.1 career innings against them. Bryce Harper is 4-for-7 with two doubles off him. Toronto is 6-0 in its past six after a loss.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies enter on a four-game losing streak and were swept over the weekend in Atlanta, although there’s certainly no shame in that. The Phillies went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position Sunday after beginning the game with the majors’ best average in such situations at .276. First baseman Rhys Hoskins returned to the lineup after getting hit by a pitch on the hand last Wednesday and was 0-for-4. Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber is one homer shy of becoming the franchise’s first 40-homer guy since 2009, when Ryan Howard hit 45.
It’s the veteran right-hander Gibson (10-6, 4.45 ERA) on the mound Tuesday. He has been much better at home (7-3, 3.90 ERA) than away (3-3, 5.31 ERA). Gibson is 5-1 with a 4.14 ERA in 58.2 career innings vs. Toronto. Springer is just 1-for-13 off him. Matt Chapman 0-for-12. Jackie Bradley Jr. 2-for-17. The Phillies are 2-5 in their past seven after a loss.
TOR
PHI