The Toronto Blue Jays (30-32) travel to face off against the Oakland Athletics (25-39) on Friday, June 7th. This game will be played at Oakland Coliseum in Oakland and televised on None. The Blue Jays are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Athletics are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Mariners. First pitch is set for 8:40 CT.
Blue Jays vs Athletics
The Blue Jays’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Orioles, closing out their series with a 6-5 win. After allowing one run to the Orioles in the top of the first, the Blue Jays responded with three runs of their own. Toronto went on to add another three runs in the 3rd inning.
Yusei Kikuchi put together a good start for the Blue Jays, going six innings and giving up just one earned run, and picking up the win. He also issued only one walk and struck out six Orioles batters. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was hot at the plate, going 2/3 with a homer and three RBIs.
Toronto is 30-32 overall this year, and they are 5th in the AL East, 14 games behind the Yankees for the division lead. The Blue Jays head into today’s game having won two straight games, and they are 7-3 in their last 10 games overall. So far, they are 9-10 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Blue Jays are 16-15 this year, and they are just below .500 at 14-17 on the road. As the favorite, the Blue Jays are 24-16 this year, and they are 6-16 as the underdog. Toronto’s overall series record is 7-9-4, and they split their most recent series with the Orioles.
When it comes to betting the run line on the Toronto Blue Jays, it’s been a mixed bag. Overall, they are 28-34 against the run line, but they have been better on the road (17-14) than at home (11-20). Their average run margin is -0.7, and they have been outscored by an average of 0.5 runs per game on the road and 0.9 runs per game at home. They have covered the run line in three straight road games and are 19-21 as the favorite.
When the Toronto Blue Jays are on the road this season, the O/U line is set at 7.5 runs. The combined run average in their games is 8.5 runs per game, and their O/U record is 28-33. The average O/U line in their games is 8 runs, but when the line is set at 7.5 runs, their O/U record is 10-5. Overall, 71% of their games have had higher O/U lines than 7.5 runs.
Chris Bassitt Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces his former team, the Athletics. He has made 12 starts this season and has a record of 6-6 with a 4.13 ERA. Bassitt’s WHIP for the season is 1.45, and opponents are batting .266 off the right-hander this year. In his last outing, Bassitt went five innings and gave up three earned runs, coming away with the win. Before that, he had won two straight starts without giving up an earned run. Bassitt has allowed at least one homer in three straight outings.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
For the season, the Blue Jays are averaging just 3.9 runs per game, which is 24th in the MLB. They are also near the bottom of the league in home runs and have a team batting average of just .234. However, they do have a few hitters who have been swinging the bat well of late, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who has gone 8/26 in his last seven games with two homers.
Guerrero Jr. and Davis Schneider are both tied for 2nd on the team with seven homers, while Daulton Varsho is the team’s leader in homers (10) and RBIs (31) but is batting just .214 for the season. Varsho is also on a bit of a cold streak, as he is just 2/20 in his last seven games.
The Athletics wrapped up their series vs. the Mariners with a 3-0 loss. Oakland was the +128 underdog at home going into this matchup. Things started off well for the Athletics, as JP Sears got the start and went six innings, giving up just two runs on three hits. He also issued only two walks and struck out eight Mariners. However, the Athletics couldn’t get anything going offensively and lost Sears’ good start.
Oakland’s offense finished with only two fewer hits than the Mariners but didn’t score a run. Both of their hits were singles, and they didn’t have any timely hitting as they didn’t score a run. The Athletics also struck out eight times and didn’t have any stolen bases.
Oakland will host the Blue Jays today with an overall record of 25-39, which has them 4th in the AL West. Currently, they trail the Mariners by 11 games in the division. So far, they have really struggled against other AL West teams, going 6-14 this year.
The Athletics have dropped four straight series and are just 7-12-1 in series play this year. At home, they are the favorite, the Athletics are 8-16 this year. On the road, they are 11-21.
The Athletics have been a good bet on the run line this season, going 31-33 overall. They have been a better bet on the run line on the road, where they are 16-16. They have been a poor bet on the run line as the favorite, going just 2-6. Their average run margin in winning games is +3.0, while it is -3.6 in losing games.
The Oakland Athletics are at home today against the Toronto Blue Jays. The O/U line is set at 7.5 runs, which is lower than their average combined run average of 8.4 runs per game. The A’s have an O/U record of 28-34 on the season, and their games have had an average O/U line of 8 runs. When the O/U line is set at 7.5 runs, they have gone 9-10 on the season. Their games have had O/U lines set at 7.5 runs in 42 of their 64 games this season, which is a rate of 65.6%. They are currently on a streak of 4 straight games going under the total.
Hogan Harris Gets The Start For The Athletics
Hogan Harris is making his first start of the season for the Athletics. He has made 3 appearances out of the bullpen so far, with his most recent outing coming against the Rays, where he went 5 2/3 innings and struck out 7.
Athletics Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Athletics have been one of the league’s top home run hitting teams, but they are batting just .221 as a team, which is 22nd in the MLB. As a team, they are averaging just 3.7 runs per game (28th) and are also near the bottom of the league in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. The Athletics have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.2 runs per contest.
Over his last 10 games, Miguel Andujar has gone 11/41 for the Athletics, including two home runs and 10 RBIs. However, Shea Langeliers has also hit two home runs in this stretch but is just 4/27 in his last seven games. For the season, Langeliers is batting just .202 but does have 12 homers, which is tied for the team lead.
Blue Jays vs Athletics Prediction
Our predicted final score for this Blue Jays vs. Athletics matchup is 6-5 in favor of the Athletics, and with the Athletics being the underdog at +115, we see this as a great opportunity to take them on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Hogan Harris is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which has him in the middle of the pack among starters. As for Chris Bassitt, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts, and the Blue Jays’ offense is projected to finish with seven as a team.
Another reason we like the Athletics to pick up the win today is because we have them finishing with 11 hits compared to the Blue Jays with 10. The Athletics are also projected to finish with more home runs than the Blue Jays.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:June 7, 2024 Athletics, Blue Jays