Blue Jays vs. Tigers Pick
Can the Detroit Tigers start the second half of the MLB season with a win over the Toronto Blue Jays at home tonight at 7:10PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Tigers are favored at home, as they are getting odds of -125 to win, while the Blue Jays are listed with a money line of +105 to prevail. The over/under total for the game has been set at 9 runs. These two have yet to meet this season.
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The pitching matchup today has Aaron Sanchez (0-2, 4.85 ERA) on the mound for Toronto to face Justin Verlander (5-6, 4.73) of the Tigers. Sanchez has just six starts in 2017, allowing 14 earned runs in 26 innings. He has 18 strikeouts with 13 walks and a 1.62 WHIP. Verlander hasn’t had a great first half, allowing 55 earned runs and 51 walks in 104.2 innings. He also has 98 strikeouts with a 1.52 WHIP.
The Jays entered the break having split a four-game series with Houston at home. Toronto is now 41-47 overall and 19-23 on the road. Toronto is putting up 4.16 runs per game while allowing 4.89 per contest. The Jays are being led by Justin Smoak, who has 23 home runs with 56 RBI this season. Kendrys Morales is adding 16 home runs and 48 RBI.
Detroit dropped five of its last eight games before the break. The Tigers are now 39-48 overall and 23-20 at home. Detroit has scored 4.70 runs per game this season while allowing 5.06. The Tigers are being led this season by Justin Upton, who has 21 doubles, 15 home runs and 54 RBI. J.D. Martinez has 14 home runs and 32 RBI this year despite playing in just 53 games.
Neither team is coming into the second half of the season with much momentum. Both teams have long roads to a division title or making the playoffs. Verlander has struggled this season, but had a competitive start in Cleveland in his last outing. I think he will return to Detroit with the same stuff and carry his team to a win. Despite Detroit’s struggles, Verlander still could be auditioning for a contender.
MLB DAILY PREDICTION: DETROIT TIGERS -125