The Toronto Blue Jays (16-19) travel to face off against the Philadelphia Phillies (25-11) on Tuesday, May 7th. This game will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and televised on None. The Phillies are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Blue Jays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Nationals. First pitch is set for 6:40 ET.
Blue Jays vs Phillies
The Blue Jays will be looking to get back on track after closing out their series vs. the Nationals with an 11-8 loss. Toronto was actually the slight favorite on the money line going into the game but fell behind big early, as the Nationals scored five times in the 2nd.
Alek Manoah took the loss, going only four innings and giving up six earned runs on six hits. The Blue Jays’s offense scored five runs in the 2nd to take the lead but didn’t score again until the 5th. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had a big game, going 2/4 with a homer and four RBIs.
Toronto is 5th in the AL East, trailing the Orioles by 7.5 games. Overall, the Blue Jays are 16-19 as they play on the road vs. the Phillies. Toronto is 8-7 at home this year and 8-12 on the road.
As the underdog, the Blue Jays have lost six straight, and they are 3-10 as the underdog overall. Toronto has been better as the favorite, going 13-9 this year. Their overall series record is 4-6-1, and they have lost four straight series.
When the Blue Jays are on the road, they have a run line record of 9-11. Their average run differential in those games is -1.0. They have a run line losing streak when they are favored of 5 games. Their average run differential in their losses is -4.4.
With an over/under line of 8.5 runs for today’s game against the Phillies, the Blue Jays have seen their games go over that line in 5 of the 13 games this season with that line. This season, the Blue Jays have an over/under record of 15-19, and their games have averaged 8.4 runs per game.
José Berríos Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Toronto is sending José Berríos to the mound today, and he comes in with a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 1.44. Berríos has made six quality starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.01. In his last outing, he took the loss, going seven innings and giving up two earned runs. Before that, he had won three straight starts. One of his complete games came at home, and he has an ERA of 0.86 at home compared to 2.02 on the road. So far, Berríos has allowed four homers.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Blue Jays offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 3.7 runs per game, which is 24th in the league. They have been a bit better at home, averaging 3.5 runs per game. As a team, they are batting .226, which is 16th in the league, and are 13th in home runs. Toronto’s team OPS of .670 is also just 20th in the league.
Justin Turner and Daulton Varsho are tied for the team lead in RBIs, with 16 apiece. Turner has a team-high 16 RBIs and is batting .283 for the season, while Varsho has gone deep six times. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has the team’s 2nd best batting average at .239 and is on an eight-game hitting streak.
The Phillies’s offense was hot right out of the gates in their most recent game vs. the Giants, closing out their series with a 6-1 win. After going on to score four runs in the 2nd inning, the Phillies added another two runs in the 4th to really put things out of reach. Looking at the betting lines going into the game, the Phillies were at -237 at home.
Zack Wheeler put together a great start for the Phillies, going seven innings and not giving up a run. He also issued just one walk and struck out 11 Giants batters. Bryce Harper was hot at the plate, going 2/4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Philadelphia is hosting the Blue Jays today with an overall record of 25-11, good for 1st place in the NL East. The Phillies lead the Braves by three games and have gone 3-3 in divisional matchups. The Phillies have won six straight games, and they closed out their series vs. the Giants with four straight wins.
At home, the Phillies are 14-6 this year and have gone 11-5 on the road. So far, they have been really good in night games, putting together a record of 15-6. As the favorite, the Phillies are 21-8 this year and 4-3 as the underdog. Philadelphia has been tough to beat at home when favored, going 13-4 this year. The Phillies’ overall series record is 7-2-2, and they have won three straight series and two straight series on the road.
When the Phillies are favored, they are 14-15 against the run line, but when they are underdogs, they are 4-3. The average run differential in their winning games is +3.6, while in their losses, it is -4.1. The Phillies are 9-11 against the run line at home and 9-7 on the road.
When the Phillies play at home, the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs. So far this season, their games have averaged 8.6 runs, and their over/under record is 16-18. Their games have gone over the line in just 2 of 8 games when the line was set at 8.5 runs. Overall, 66.7% of their games have had lower lines than 8.5 runs.
Cristopher Sánchez Gets The Start For The Phillies
Left-hander Cristopher Sánchez gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Blue Jays at home. So far this season, he has made six starts and has a record of 1-3 with an ERA of 3.68. Sánchez’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.53. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, giving up four earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back over his last three starts, Sánchez has allowed at least one homer in each outing. His walk numbers are a bit concerning, as he is averaging 3.99 walks per nine innings compared to 8.9 strikeouts.
Phillies Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Phillies have been one of the league’s top offenses, as they are 6th in runs per game (4.9), and have been even better at home, averaging 5.2 runs per contest. Overall, they are 3rd in home runs and have the league’s 5th best team batting average. As a team, they are also one of the league’s best in terms of on-base percentage and OPS.
Bryce Harper has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 5/15 in his last five games with two homers and six RBIs. For the season, he is batting just .243, but his eight homers is 2nd on the team. Alec Bohm is hitting .349 for the Phillies, and his 32 RBIs is the best mark in the league. Kyle Schwarber has also been a big power threat, as his nine homers is 3rd in the league, but he is batting just .214 for the season.
Blue Jays vs Phillies Prediction
Our prediction for today’s Blue Jays vs. Phillies matchup is to take the Phillies on the money line at -136. We do have the Phillies winning this one by a score of 5-4, which would give you a nice payout on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Christopher Sanchez finishing with seven strikeouts compared to Jose Berrios with five. Sanchez also has a better chance of picking up the win, and we have him going 6-7 innings compared to Berrios, who we have going 5-6 innings.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:May 7, 2024 Blue Jays, Phillies