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MLB betting preview (May 2): Guardians vs. Blue Jays predictions
Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Chris Bassitt (40) pitches to the Atlanta Braves during the first inning at Rogers Centre.
Photo credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Greg Warren
May 2, 2025, 12:57 EDTUpdated: May 2, 2025, 13:10 EDT
After taking two of three games from the Boston Red Sox, the Toronto Blue Jays will open a three-game home set against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night at Rogers Centre.
Toronto will be looking for a third straight win after securing back-to-back come-from-behind victories against Boston to climb within one game of .500.
The Guardians, meanwhile, have won three straight games entering this contest after taking three of four from the Minnesota Twins earlier this week. They trail the Detroit Tigers by 1 1/2 games for the top spot in the AL Central Division.
Let’s dive into the game odds for Friday’s showdown between the Guardians and Blue Jays courtesy of bet365.

Guardians vs. Blue Jays odds

Guardians moneyline odds
+120
Blue Jays moneyline odds
-140
Runline odds
Blue Jays -1.5 (+145), Guardians +1.5 (-170)
Game total
Over 8.5 runs (-110), Under 8.5 (-110)
Date/Time
May 2, 7:07 p.m. ET

About the Guardians (18-13 SU, 14-17 ATS, 15-14-2 o/u)

After a slow start to the season, the Guardians are 15-7 in their last 22 games and find themselves exceeding expectations once again despite not having an abundance of star power. They rank in the back half of the majors in most offensive statistical categories, and their pitching staff ranks around the middle of the pack in key stats like team ERA, K/9, and WHIP, yet they still find ways to win games and remain competitive.
The team’s one shining star, Jose Ramirez, is coming off a historic night Thursday, when he became the first player in club history with at least 250 career homers and 250 stolen bases. He’s just the 24th major league player to reach that milestone and the first third baseman to accomplish the feat.
Right-hander Emmanuel Clase, one of the top closers in baseball over the last handful of seasons, has struggled mightily this year, allowing 10 earned runs in just over 13 innings pitched while blowing two of his seven save attempts.

About the Blue Jays (15-16 SU, 19-12 ATS, 12-19 o/u)

The Blue Jays are finally hitting for some power after recording another pair of home runs on Thursday to bring their tally to five over the last two games. They now have 21 homers as a group this season, the second-fewest in baseball behind the Kansas City Royals (15). In case you were wondering, the New York Yankees lead the majors with 53 total bombs, and 18 teams have bashed 30 or more to this point.
It should be noted for in-game bettors that Toronto received a strong start from Jose Berrios, who pitched 6 2/3 innings on Thursday, so it only needed 18 combined pitches from two relievers to close the game out, leaving the group fresh heading into this series. Cleveland used five relievers in an extra-innings affair over Minnesota on Thursday, so the Blue Jays could have a slight advantage if Cleveland can’t get some decent mileage out of its starting pitcher, Logan Allen, in this spot.

Probable starting pitchers

Cleveland: LHP Logan Allen (1-2, 4.31 ERA, 6.31 K/9)
Allen coughed up seven runs on nine hits to the Red Sox the last time he took the hill, but he turned in three premium outings prior to that. He’s also fared quite well in his three road starts this year, posting a 2.70 ERA while holding the opposition to a .237 batting average. His career numbers aren’t good at Rogers Centre in a small sample size, though: 6 ER, 9 H, 9 IP. Toronto has hit lefties well this season, posting a .757 OPS (sixth-best in the majors) in 233 at-bats against southpaws.
Toronto: RHP Chris Bassitt (2-2, 2.62 ERA, 10.22 K/9)
Bassitt has been very good overall this year, but his last two starts have been mediocre. He’s coughed up four earned runs in each of his last two outings against the Yankees and Houston Astros, scattering 13 hits in the process. However, he’s had success by mixing up all eight of his pitches and by elevating his game with runners in scoring position, with batters hitting just .139 against him in those situations. His outstanding 10.22 K/9 rate is likely due for some regression and should fall closer to his 8.38 career average, so keep that in mind if you’re looking at his strikeout props in this game.

Notable injuries

Pitchers Paul Sewald (shoulder), Shane Bieber (elbow), and John Means (elbow) are some of the notable players on Cleveland’s injured list. Outfielder Lane Thomas (wrist) and first baseman David Fry (elbow) are also out.
Pitchers Ryan Burr (shoulder), Erik Swanson (forearm), Nick Sandlin (lat), and Max Scherzer (thumb) are all on the injured list for the Blue Jays.

Weather

This game will likely be played inside as temperatures are still cool in Toronto throughout the evening hours. The retractable dome in Toronto hasn’t been opened yet this season, but there’s a chance it could happen during this weekend’s day games.

Guardians vs. Blue Jays betting trends

  • The Guardians are 7-3 in the past 10 meetings with the Blue Jays.
  • The under is 6-3 in Toronto’s last nine games.
  • The Guardians are 15-7 in their last 22 games.
  • Toronto has hit the team total under in 10 of its last 13 games.

Guardians vs. Blue Jays player prop trends

  • After a hot start to the season, Andres Gimenez is in a funk for the Blue Jays, recording a hit just five times in his last 20 games. He’s around +145 to record 0.5 hits.
  • Daulton Varsho has homered in back-to-back games and is +550 to go deep again on Friday.
  • It’s obviously a ridiculously small sample size, but Guardians catcher Bo Naylor has homered in his only previous at-bat against Bassitt. Naylor has also homered in two of his last three games and is +560 to go deep Friday.
  • Ramirez has stolen a base in back-to-back games and in four of his last 10, suggesting a price of +255 (28.1% implied odds) is a decent bet in this spot.

Guardians vs. Blue Jays best bet

  • Under 8.5 runs scored: -106 for one unit (best odds at PROLINE +). Although they’ve shown flashes of power recently, the Blue Jays have scored four runs or fewer in 12 of their last 13 games, while the Guardians have also been held to those low run totals in six straight contests. We also have a decent starting pitching matchup in this spot in a game that features a pair of soft-hitting teams, so back the under to cash in this series opener.

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