The Toronto Blue Jays (16-20) travel to face off against the Philadelphia Phillies (26-11) on Wednesday, May 8th. This game will be played at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia and televised on NSPPH. 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 Phillies. First pitch is set for 1:05 ET.
Blue Jays vs Phillies
Thanks to a five-run 4th inning for the Phillies’ offense, they cruised to an easy 10-1 win over the Blue Jays in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Phillies were favored at -115 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Jose Berrios for the Blue Jays, and he went just 3 2/3 innings while giving up eight runs and took the loss. Cristopher Sanchez put together a good outing for the Phillies, getting the win after going seven innings and giving up just one earned run.
Philadelphia got a huge performance from Bryce Harper, as he went 3/3 with a home run and four RBIs. Kody Clemens also homered for the Phillies’ offense.
Toronto is 5th in the AL East, trailing the Orioles by 7.5 games. Overall, the Blue Jays are 16-20 and have lost two straight games, which came after taking the first game of their series vs. the Braves. So far, they are 5-5 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Blue Jays are 8-7 this year compared to 8-13 on the road. As the underdog, Toronto has struggled this season, going 3-11. The Blue Jays are 13-9 when favored. Toronto’s overall series record is 4-6-1, and they have dropped four straight series.
When the Blue Jays are on the road, they are 9-12 against the run line. They have failed to cover the run line in their last two road games, and they have failed to cover the run line in six straight games in which they were favored.
So far this season, the Blue Jays have played 35 games with an average of 8 runs scored per game. Their over/under record is 16-19, and their games have had an average over/under line of 8 runs. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 6-8. Currently, they are on a 4-game over streak.
Chris Bassitt Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Toronto is sending Chris Bassitt to the mound today, and he comes in with a record of 2-5 and an ERA of 5.45. So far, he has made three quality starts and is averaging 8.42 strikeouts per nine innings. Bassitt’s last outing came on May 1st, where he took the loss, giving up three earned runs in six innings of work. Before that, he had allowed at least two homers in three straight starts. The right-hander has a 6.29 ERA on the road compared to 7.72 at home.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Blue Jays have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league, averaging just 3.6 runs per game, which is 26th in the league. They have been even worse at home, averaging only 3.5 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .226, and their team on-base percentage of .307 is also below the league average.
Justin Turner and Daulton Varsho are tied for the team lead in RBIs, with 16 apiece. Turner is also the team’s top hitter so far this season, batting .282. Varsho has been a bit better in terms of power, as he has gone deep six times this season, which is 6th in the league. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is also near the top of the team’s home run leaderboard, and he comes into the game with a batting average of .234.
Philadelphia is hosting the Blue Jays today with an overall record of 26-11, which has them leading the NL East by three games over the Braves. The Phillies have won seven straight games, and they are 9-1 over their last 10 games overall. So far, they are 3-3 in divisional games this year.
At home, the Phillies are 15-6 this year, and they have gone 11-5 on the road. As the favorite, the Phillies are 22-8 this year and 4-3 as the underdog. Looking at their overall series record, the Phillies are 7-2-2 and have won three straight series overall.
Philadelphia has a run differential of +1.5 runs per game this season, and their run line record is 19-18. They are 10-11 against the run line at home, where they have a run differential of +1.5 runs per game. They are 9-7 against the run line on the road, where they have a run differential of +1.4 runs per game. They have covered the run line in their last two games and are 2-0 against the run line as the favorite in those games.
When the Phillies and Blue Jays played today, the combined run total was 11, which was 2.5 runs higher than the over/under line of 8.5 runs. This was the fourth time in 37 games this season that the Phillies had an over/under line of 8.5 runs or higher, and the over/under record for the season is now 17-18.
Aaron Nola Gets The Start For The Phillies
Right-hander Aaron Nola gets the start for the Phillies today as he faces the Blue Jays at home. Nola has made seven starts this year and has a record of 4-1 with an ERA of 3.32. Looking at his overall numbers, Nola has a WHIP of 1.15 and has allowed a total of seven home runs. In his four home starts, Nola has an ERA of 5.11 compared to 2.12 on the road. He has pitched well on the road, going 3-0 with four quality starts. Nola has allowed two earned runs in each of his last two outings.
Phillies Offense Breakdown
As a team, the Phillies are averaging 5.1 runs per game, which is 3rd in the league. Their team batting average of .258 is also 3rd in the league, and they have the 3rd best slugging percentage in the league. The Phillies have been even better at home, averaging 5.5 runs per game, and have the 2nd best home run total in the league.
Alec Bohm has been on fire of late, going 12/34 in his last nine games with a home run and 10 RBIs. For the season, he is batting .349 with four homers. Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber are tied for the team lead with nine homers, with Harper batting .263 and Schwarber hitting just .215. Harper has also driven in 28 runs, which is 2nd on the team.
Blue Jays vs Phillies Prediction
With the Blue Jays having a money line payout of +134, this is the best way to play today’s Blue Jays vs. Phillies matchup. We have the Blue Jays winning this one by a score of 5-4, giving them a good amount of value at +134.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Chris Bassitt finishing with five strikeouts, which would have him finishing 15th among starters. As for Aaron Nola, he is projected to finish with five strikeouts, which would have him 17th.
Offensively, the Blue Jays are predicted to finish with nine hits compared to the Phillies, who are projected to finish with eight. If you’re looking for a player prop bet, you could look at the over/under line, which is at 8.5 runs. We have this one finishing with a combined nine runs.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:May 8, 2024 Blue Jays, Phillies