Blue Jays at Mariners 08/23/19 – Odds and MLB Betting Trends

Aug 23, 2019, 13:18 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays have managed to be fairly competitive in their travels through the AL West division this season, and it might not hurt that they’re going from facing baseball’s best pitching staff to one of its worst.
The Blue Jays are a -120 away favorite (bet $120 to win $100) while the Seattle Mariners are an even-money home underdog with an 9.5-run total on the MLB odds for Friday at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Blue Jays at Mariners | OddsShark Matchup Report
The Blue Jays are 5-7 in their last 12 away games against the AL West and are also 6-5 in their last 11 games as an away favorite. However, the Mariners are 6-14 in their last 20 games as a home underdog, according to the OddsShark MLB Database. The total has gone UNDER in nine of Seattle’s last 14 games as a home underdog.
Toronto is coming off being swept in an interleague series by the Los Angeles Dodgers, who earned walk-off wins in the last two contests. The Dodgers’ pitchers have the lowest era in Major League Baseball while the Mariners’ are ranked 27th of 30 teams, six spots below the Blue Jays.
Right-hander Trent Thornton (4-8, 5.30 ERA, 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings) will start for the Blue Jays on Friday, making his second start in a row against Seattle after allowing three runs and five hits over six innings on Sunday at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays are 6-8 in Thornton’s away starts this season and the total has gone OVER at betting sites in eight of those 14 games. 
Rookie left-hander Justus Sheffield (0-0, 6.00 ERA, 9.0 SO/9IP) will make his first career MLB start and second appearance for Seattle. He has a 4.13 ERA in Double-A and Triple-A this season.
The Blue Jays have not named a starter for Saturday or Sunday, which suggests an opener will be used, based on manager Charlie Montoyo’s recent usage patterns. One-time Cy Young Award winner Felix Hernandez (1-4, 6.52 ERA, 7.9 SO/9) will make his first start for the Mariners since May 11 after missing 3½ months of MLB action with a strained right shoulder. Seattle is 5-10 in Hernandez’s last 15 home starts.
On Sunday, the Blue Jays will face left-hander Marco Gonzales (13-10, 4.30 ERA, 6.9 SO/9). The Mariners are 4-1 in Gonzales’ last five home starts with an average total of 9.2, as every game has had at least eight runs scored.
The Blue Jays have an off-day Monday, then host the Atlanta Braves for a two-game series.
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