by OddsShark (@OddsShark) – Sponsored Post
Being cautious about the Toronto Blue Jays and their beleaguered pitching staff is understandable, but some trends might point toward a bounceback.
The Blue Jays face the Philadelphia Phillies in a doubleheader on Friday. Toronto will be designated as the home team in the first matchup on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. Toronto is 4-3 in away games against National League competition this season, and the UNDER has hit on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com in 13 of their 15 away games against NL teams. The Phillies are 5-10 in their last 15 home games against American League teams and nine of those matchups finished UNDER at online sports betting sites.
Toronto is coming off of a three-game road sweep by the New York Yankees where they were outscored 43-15, giving up at least 10 runs in each game. Their magic number to clinch an AL wild-card spot is down to seven.
The Blue Jays have scored 4.3 runs per away game this season, and their .729 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is 15th-best out of 30 MLB teams. Their 4.29 road earned-run average also ranks 15th. The Phillies are scoring 5.4 runs per game at home and their .809 home OPS ranks 11th. Their pitching staff is 26th in home ERA at 4.98.
Lefthander Robbie Ray (2-4, 6.85 ERA, 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings) will start in the first game on Friday, opposite Phillies righthander Zach Eflin (2-2, 5.01 ERA, 11.3 SO/9). Ray has a 4.76 ERA in 28.1 career innings against Philadelphia and has allowed batters a .304 /.372 /.435 slash line. Ray’s teams are 5-2 in his last seven starts, but the total has gone OVER in nine of his last 15 games. The Phillies are 8-3 in Eflin’s last 11 starts, but the total has gone OVER in four of his last six games.
Righthander Ross Stripling (3-3, 5.88 ERA, 7.2 SO/9) will start for Toronto in the second game on Friday, while lefthander Hyun Jin Ryu (4-1, 3.00, 10.0 SO/9) is in line to start for the Blue Jays on Saturday. The total has gone OVER in three of Stripling’s last four starts on the road. Ryu has a 2.45 ERA in 18.1 career innings against the Phillies. His teams are 8-4 in his last 12 starts on the road, with the total going UNDER eight times.
Following the Phillies series, the Blue Jays host the New York Yankees for four games and the Baltimore Orioles for three to complete the regular season next week.
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