Toronto Blue Jays vs. Detroit Tigers: Odds, Prediction
The Blue Jays are -180 favourites for Friday’s opener on the MLB odds.
Jays vs. Tigers Betting Analysis
Friday is the only night matchup of the three-game series. The Tigers visit Toronto for four games starting July 28.
Detroit was one of the American League’s best teams in the second half of last season and was expected to make a jump to playoff contention this year with some terrific young talent in the pipeline, but the Tigers’ rotation has been hit hard by injuries. Former No. 1 overall pick Casey Mize has been out since mid-April with a right elbow sprain.
The lineup isn’t hitting to expectations, either. First baseman Spencer Torkelson, the first overall pick in the 2020 draft, was an AL Rookie of the Year favourite entering the season but is hitting below .200 and striking out a ton. Shortstop Javy Baez has been a $140 million free-agent bust so far as he’s hitting about as badly as Torkelson is. The club’s best hitter has been future Hall of Famer and 39-year-old Miguel Cabrera, who joined the very rare 3,000-hit, 500-home run club earlier this year.
Toronto and Detroit split six meetings last year. The Jays are 5-2 overall in their past seven in Motown.
Toronto Blue Jays
Just when the Blue Jays had every regular back from some sort of ailment, injury struck again to catcher Danny Jansen. He suffered a small fracture to his left pinkie finger when he got hit by a pitch on Monday night and has been placed on the injured list. It’s the second IL stint of the season for Jansen, who also missed more than a month after straining his oblique. Catcher Zack Collins was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo in a corresponding move. Alejandro Kirk should start the majority of time behind the plate, but to have some flexibility with playing Kirk or Collins at designated hitter, the Jays are calling up top catching prospect Gabriel Moreno from Buffalo for the start of the Tigers series. He’s ranked as the No. 4 prospect in all of baseball. It’s right-hander Jose Berrios (4-2, 5.24 ERA) on the mound Friday. He was excellent last time out against his former Twins team, allowing two runs with a season-high 13 strikeouts over seven innings. On the road, though, Berrios is 1-2 with a 7.28 ERA. Toronto is 7-1 in its past eight road games.
Detroit Tigers
Like the Blue Jays, the Tigers were off Thursday after sweeping two games in Pittsburgh early this week. Having Thursday off should allow closer Gregory Soto to be available for this one after he got the save in both Pirates games. He has been excellent with 12 saves and a 1.71 ERA. The entire Tigers bullpen has been one of the AL’s best. Detroit put starting third baseman Jeimer Candelario on the 10-day injured list earlier this week. Rookie right-hander Elvin Rodriguez (0-1, 10.13 ERA) is scheduled on the mound Friday – he’s only in the rotation due to injuries to other pitchers. It’s Rodriguez’s fifth big-league outing, and he was almost historically bad last time out at the Yankees in allowing a whopping 10 earned runs to raise his season ERA from 6.17 to 10.13. The Tigers are 4-1 in their past five at home vs. teams with a winning record.
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