Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cincinnati Reds: Odds, Prediction
Over the past two days, these teams have split the series with a win each, and both could really use a series victory in this spot. After all, Cincinnati currently sits five games out of the final National League Wild Card spot, while the Blue Jays are sitting atop the American League East, but the gap is shrinking.
Which team will come out on top today? It’s almost time to find out.
Betting Analysis
The Blue Jays are road favourites on the MLB odds, sitting at -160 on the moneyline, while the Reds are +135 underdogs at home. The total (or over/under) is sitting at 8.5, while the Blue Jays are listed at +105 to win by at least two runs and cover the run line.
Elsewhere, the Blue Jays team total is set at 4.5 runs with slight juice (-125) to the Over, while the Reds team total is listed at 3.5 runs and slightly juiced to the Over as well.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto has been rock solid for the better part of three months at this point, and the Blue Jays still hold a 2.5-game lead in the AL East. However, both the Red Sox and Yankees are in good form at the moment, and Toronto needs to keep winning to stay ahead of both teams at the top of the division.
Taking the mound for Toronto will be Shane Bieber, who has tossed just 11.1 innings this season, allowing just seven hits and three earned runs so far. The Toronto lineup can expect to back him up with some runs, putting Bieber in a solid position.
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds were looking like a potential playoff team for the majority of the summer, but the Reds have faded a bit down the stretch, having dropped seven of their last 10 games and falling into a five-game hole in the National League Wild Card race.
Zack Littell will get the ball for Cincinnati in this one, and he has pitched 27.2 innings since coming over to the Reds, surrendering 12 earned runs in the process. Littell has allowed 11 earned runs over his last 20.2 innings pitched, so it feels like Toronto has the starting pitching edge in this one.
MLB Prediction: Who Will Win Blue Jays vs. Reds?
These teams are pretty similar from a starting pitching and bullpen perspective. However, the biggest difference in this game is that the Reds attempted a bullpen game on Tuesday, burning through six pitchers from the bullpen and allowing 11 runs.
Littell should have a longer leash today, and that could be an issue when we consider that the Blue Jays are batting .276 over the past six games. Additionally, Toronto’s offence has a whopping 56 hits and 36 runs over that stretch. This level of efficiency when hitting is hard to beat for any pitcher, which points me in the direction of backing the Blue Jays in this one.
All things considered, I am rolling with the Blue Jays to get the win, given the effectiveness of Toronto at the plate and Bieber on the mound.
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