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MLB Betting Preview (Aug. 2): Blue Jays vs. Yankees predictions
Toronto Blue Jays first base Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (27) reacts after hitting a single against the New York Yankees during the first inning at Rogers Centre.
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
Greg Warren
Aug 2, 2024, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 2, 2024, 11:03 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays will kick off their August schedule with the opener of a three-game set against the Yankees in New York on Friday night.
Toronto dropped three of four games to the Orioles in Baltimore earlier this week. The Blue Jays will return to Toronto after this weekend series with New York to host those same Orioles for three games at Rogers Centre early next week.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have won five straight games to move into a tie with the Orioles atop the American League East Division standings heading into play Friday. They’re coming off an impressive three-game sweep of the Phillies in Philadelphia and appear to be firing on all cylinders.
Both teams had Thursday off, so the bullpens will be fresh on Friday.
Let’s dive into the game odds for Friday’s series opener between the Blue Jays and Yankees courtesy of bet365:

Blue Jays vs. Yankees odds

Blue Jays Moneyline Odds
+135
Yankees Moneyline Odds
-160
Runline Odds
Yankees -1.5 (+125), Blue Jays +1.5 (-150)
Over/Under
Over 9 runs (-110), Under 9 runs (-110)
Time/Date
Aug. 2, 7:05 p.m. ET
TV
Broadcast: Sportsnet, Sportsnet+

Betting Toronto Blue Jays (50-59 SU, 53-59 ATS, 59-47-3 o/u)

A day off Thursday will serve the Blue Jays well after a busy trade deadline and a heavy workload on their bullpen earlier this week. They played a doubleheader on Monday in Baltimore and received just 14 1/3 total innings of work from their starting pitchers across the four games in the series, so the bullpen was completely taxed by late on Wednesday afternoon.
With the team selling multiple assets at the trade deadline and waving the white flag on the season, the focus will now be on auditioning young players for next season. Winning games is no longer the top priority, so it could be an ugly weekend against the high-powered Yankees, who are in a dogfight with the Orioles for the top spot in the AL East over the final two months of the season.

Betting New York Yankees (65-45 SU, 55-55 ATS, 61-45-4 o/u)

The Yankees are legitimate World Series contenders with the second-shortest odds to win the Fall Classic (+600) behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (+300). They’re excelling on both sides of the ball of the season, but offensively, the team is really shining behind the dynamic duo of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto. The pair has combined to reach base safely an incredible 427 times this season. The last pair of Yankees teammates to accomplish that feat was Lou Gehrig and Babe Ruth in 1930 (436 times).
New York is averaging a MLB-best 5.1 runs per game and has mashed 164 home runs (second in MLB). The squad also boasts the fifth-best team ERA (3.69) and the pitching staff is holding opposing hitters to a .229 batting average, the second-best mark in baseball.
This will be the final series between the Yankees and Blue Jays this season. They’ve split the previous 10 meetings and have combined to play over the total in eight of those contests.

Probable starting pitchers

Toronto: RHP Kevin Gausman (9-8, 4.44 ERA, 8.80 K/9, 1.26 WHIP)
Gausman has posted three straight wins and is coming off a complete-game effort against the Texas Rangers. He allowed three runs while striking out eight in his most recent outing to lower his ERA to a solid 3.45 this month across four starts. Bettors should note that Gausman has been very good on the road this season, holding opponents to a .208 batting average with a 2.34 ERA across 10 starts away from Rogers Centre. The Yankees have hammered him, though, for 14 runs over three starts this season while hitting a lofty .333 against the Toronto right-hander.
New York: RHP Marcus Stroman (7-5, 3.64 ERA, 6.57 K/9, 1.35 WHIP)
Stroman is coming off his shortest outing of the season against the Boston Red Sox, who tagged him for five runs (three earned) on nine hits over 3 1/3 innings. However, he’s pitched well against his former team this season, holding Toronto to a .233 team batting average while boasting a 2.87 ERA against them. Overall, Stroman is having a fine season and is making the Yankees look good for signing him to a two-year, $37 million deal.

Weather

It’ll be a hot and humid night in The Bronx, with temperatures around 27 C expected and a 40% chance of thunderstorms throughout the evening hours. Winds will blow at 6 mph from right field to left field.

MLB betting trends

  • Toronto has played over the total in 16 of its last 18 games.
  • The Yankees have played over the total in seven straight games and 10 of their last 11.
  • The Blue Jays have covered the runline in 22 of their last 34 away games.

MLB player prop trends

  • Several Yankees are hot coming into this contest, including Alex Verdugo (six-game hitting streak), Anthony Volpe (six-game hitting streak), and Jazz Chisholm (slashing .368/.400/1.000 with four homers and eight RBIs in four games since being traded to New York).
  • Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has exceeded his line of 1.5 for hits + runs + RBIs in seven straight games and nine of his last 10. He’s slashing an incredible .538/.606/1.077 with three home runs and eight RBIs over the last seven days.

Blue Jays vs. Yankees predictions

  • All signs are pointing to an over 8.5 runs (best odds -125 at Betway) play here, with both teams trending towards crushing totals of late and favourable weather conditions expected Friday for hitters. Several players, particularly on the Yankees, are hot at the plate right now and have had success against Gausman in their careers. Judge has hit five homers with a 1.204 OPS in 37 career at-bats against the Toronto righty, and Soto boasts a 1.596 OPS with a home run in 13 at-bats against Gausman. Giancarlo Stanton also has a pair of bombs in 19 career at-bats against him. If you don’t like the game total over here for whatever reason, consider the Yankees’ team total of over 4.5 runs (-130).
  • The Blue Jays love to cough up homers, 148 to be exact to this point in the season (most in the majors), and the Yankees love to blast them, especially at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. Target Judge (+175 to homer), Soto (+320), Chisholm (+550), or Stanton (+300) to go deep Friday night.

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