The Toronto Blue Jays look to continue their ascent in the team standings when they open a four-game road set with the Los Angeles Angels in leg one of a doubleheader on Tuesday.
Toronto is coming off a big series win over the Boston Red Sox which was highlighted by Sunday’s come-from-behind 9-8 victory which put the Blue Jays ten games over the .500 mark at 60-50. Meanwhile, the Angels have dropped to an even 56-56 mark after losing two of three to the Dodgers in the Freeway Series. The Angels lost to the Dodgers 8-2 in Sunday’s finale.
The Los Angeles Angels have turned to their prospects after injuries hit their biggest stars. Top prospect Jo Adell hit an RBI double in the 8th but it wasn’t enough as the defending champions ran away with the game 8-2 to win their rivalry set. The Angels are 4th in the AL West with a 56-56 record and are a far 8 games off the Wild Card pace.
The offense hasn’t been much of a problem for the Angels who are averaging 4.62 runs per game with an OPS of 0.740. However, with injuries to some of its big stars, their offense has struggled as of late. Los Angeles’ pitching ranks in the bottom 10 with a team ERA of 4.68 while walking 3.81 opposing batters per nine innings which is 2nd worst in the AL.
Rookie Chris Rodriguez will open on top of the mound for the Angels. Rodriguez made his first career start against the Rangers last week and allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts across six innings. He has an ERA of 3.86 with 27 strikeouts in 25.2 innings of work.
MVP betting favorite Shohei Ohtani leads the majors with 37 home runs with 15 steals and 82 RBI while posting a 1.015 OPS in a remarkable two-way season.
With the chance to play in front of their crowd for the first time in nearly two seasons, the Toronto Blue Jays went 9-2 in their 11-game homestand. This included a thrilling come-from-behind 9-8 win over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. Toronto is 60-50 on the season and 4th in the AL East. However, they are just 3.5 games back of the second wild card spot in the AL.
The Blue Jays have been one of the most prolific offensive teams in the league at 5.19 runs per game and a league-best 0.786 OPS as a team. The Toronto pitching staff has also been effective with their 3.87 team ERA with both the rotation and the bullpen posting almost identical numbers.
Steven Matz will get to pitch leg one of the double-header. Matz is coming off his best start of the season last Wednesday when he pitched six scoreless innings while allowing six hits and one walk while fanning 8 hitters. The 30-year old has a 9-6 mark with an ERA of 4.30 across 19 innings.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a slash line of .318/.412/.635 with 35 home runs and 87 RBI to lead Toronto’s high-scoring offense.
The Angels are 39-84 in their last 123 road games against an opponent with a winning record. Los Angeles is 8-17 in their last 25 games against a left-handed starter, 2-5 in their last seven Tuesday games, 16-42 in their last 58 road games when the total is set between 7-8.5, and 2-8 in their last 10 games against an opponent with a winning record.
The Blue Jays are 6-1 in their last seven games played. Toronto is 10-1 in their last 11 opening games of a double-header, 6-1 in their last seven games as home favorites, 6-1 in their last seven games against a right-handed starter, 5-1 in their last six games after scoring five or more runs in their previous game, and 4-1 in their last five games after a win.
There’s no doubt that Rodriguez has plenty of potentials but Toronto is a tough assignment for someone’s second-career start. Rodriguez didn’t look sharp in his first career start against the worst offense in the AL in Texas. Overall this season, he’s walked 11.3% of opposing batters which should be an issue against the Blue Jays. On the other hand, Matz is solid enough to do what’s needed to beat a slumping offense.
Toronto has been poised to make a run for more than a month now. That stretch is finally here as they have won 10 out of their last 12 games and came back from five runs down on Sunday to stun the Boston Red Sox.
Los Angeles has really struggled with the loss of Walsh as they are averaging under four runs per game since the first baseman got hurt. Toronto is playing like a contender now and they are healthy. The Angels are without Walsh, Anthony Rendon, and Mike Trout.
Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays
The total has gone under in Los Angeles’ last four games against a right-handed starter. The under is 11-1 in their last 12 games as road underdogs, 6-1 in their last seven road games against an opponent with a winning record, 5-1 in their last Game 1 of a series, 13-3 in their last 16 road games, and 4-1 in their last five games overall.
The Blue Jays have seen the total go under in each of their last seven opening games of a double-header. The under is 9-2 in their last 11 games after a win, 4-0-1 after scoring five or more runs in their previous game, 4-1 in their last five Game 1 of a series, 8-2 in their last 10 games against a starter with a WHIP higher than 1.30, and 11-4-1 in their last 16 games overall.
The Angels are currently struggling at the plate. They are without Trout, Rendon, and Walsh who are easily their best hitters. With their depth tested and this being a seven-inning game, we should see a low-scoring game on Tuesday.
The Blue Jays have scored three or fewer runs in three out of their last five games played while The Angels have scored only 16 runs in their last five games.
Rodriguez can be wild and the Blue Jays can score several runs here but the Angels are going to find trouble with Matz who is coming off his best pitching outing of the season.
Prediction: Under 7.5
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