Blue Jays need bounce-back effort vs. O’s
Toronto’s bid to lock down the American League’s first wild-card spot hit a bit of a snag yesterday. Will John Gibbons’ group band together in time for tonight’s series opener vs. Baltimore?
The two rivals meet at 7:07 p.m. ET, with handicappers remaining loyal to the regulars at Rogers Centre. Meanwhile, online sports book Bovada.lv lists the visiting O’s as +124 underdogs. The over/under run total sits at 8.5.
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With closer Roberto Osuna unavailable, Gibbons’ bullpen imploded about 15 hours ago. The Yankees plated four runs off Jason Grilli in the ninth, averting a sweep. Toronto’s 7-5 defeat also prevented it from snagging a two-game advantage over the Orioles in the playoff race.
Aaron Sanchez (13-2, 3.12 ERA) inherits the task of making amends shortly. After cracking Ned Yost’s All-Star roster, the righty’s endured a rockier second half of the season. He carries a plus-4.00 ERA since Aug. 6.
On the flip side, Baltimore’s Kevin Gausman (8-11, 3.57) does nothing but trend up. Last week, the Red Sox halted his streak of five straight quality starts. Yet the Colorado native owns a 0-1 record with a 2.04 WHIP in two appearances against the Blue Jays this year.
Toronto’s beginning to see some key injuries crop up. Second baseman Devon Travis and reliever Joaquin Benoit, for instance, left the New York finale. Given Gausman’s recent surge, too, we’re in favor of the visiting squad tightening matters here.
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