Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Pick
After a big setback last night, can the Boston Red Sox get back on track tonight when they host the Toronto Blue Jays at 7:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Red Sox are the favorite at home, as they are getting odds of -160 to win, while the Blue Jays are listed with a money line of +150 to prevail. The over/under total for the contest has been set at 9.5 runs.
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Tonight’s pitching matchup features Marco Estrada (10-8, 4.70 ERA) on the mound for the Blue Jays to take on Rick Porcello (10-17, 4.55) of the Red Sox. Porcello has been shaky most of the year and is coming off a 4-run outing over four innings against the Reds last week. He has 173 strikeouts this season with 46 walks and a 1.39 WHIP. Estrada has allowed two runs or less in his last four starts, a total of 27 innings. He has 174 strikeouts this season with 70 walks and a 1.34 WHIP.
Toronto has won the first two games in this series, keeping Boston’s Magic Number in the AL East at 3. The Jays won 6-4 on Monday and 9-4 on Tuesday. Boston is now 91-66 overall and 46-30 at home while Toronto is 75-83 overall and 33-44 on the road.
Tuesday’s game saw Chris Sale struggle, surprisingly. He allowed five earned runs over five innings to take just his eighth loss of the season. J.A. Happ managed to pitch seven innings of 1-score ball to get his 10th win of the year. Josh Donaldson had two home runs to lead the Blue Jays. He now has 33 home runs on the year. Teoscar Hernandez added two hits and four RBI for Toronto. Chris Young led Boston at the plate with three hits, including a triple.
Estrada hasn’t had a great season, but he is trending upward as of late and now he gets to face a team he has done very well against. In three starts against Boston, Estrada has allowed just two earned runs over 17.1 innings. He also has won his last five decisions on the mound. Porcello hasn’t been able to get on track this season and his starts are very up and down. He is coming off a poor outing, but I don’t think he will turn things around today. If he does, he may not be able to match what Estrada does anyway. I like the Jays for another upset.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: TORONTO BLUE JAYS +150