Blue Jays’ Liriano eyes reboot against Royals
Francisco Liriano would love to erase all memories of the first four months of the season. And he suddenly has the perfect batterymate to assist with such a project.
In his first start as a Blue Jay, the southpaw stands to reunite with Russell Martin. The tandem produced two years of largely sterling results for the Pirates. Tonight, though, the primary goal consists of seizing a critical series opener against Kansas City.
Online sports book BetDSI gives Toronto odds of -142 to prevail at Kauffman Stadium. Conversely, the scuffling Royals enter as +127 underdogs. The over/under run figure currently rests at nine.
Acknowledging its faint chances of competing down the stretch, Pittsburgh shipped Liriano to the Great White North on Monday. Frankly, he had hardly resembled a competent MLB hurler through 21 appearances, going 6-11 with a 5.46 ERA. Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins, however, embraced the idea of pairing the former Cy Young candidate with Martin again.
Liriano’s opposition at 8:15 p.m. ET will come from Dillon Gee (3-5, 4.66), who desperately wants to get the defending World Series champions moving in the right direction. Ned Yost’s troops are 51-57 following a 2-6 road trip. They’re just 6-14 since the All-Star break.
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Still, the squad’s outlook usually brightens at The K. A 32-19 home record is one of the few things in which Kansas City can take pride at the moment. Irrespective of Yost’s increasingly dicey bullpen situation, expect Gee to keep matters close.
FRIDAY MLB FREE PICK: ROYALS +1.5