The Toronto Blue Jays made a statement with huge acquisitions at the trade deadline, sending a message to the Yankees that they are ready to compete for the AL East title. The Jays won seven of their first eight games after adding Troy Tulowitzki to MLB’s highest scoring offense and look to close the gap against a suspect Yankees rotation.
ODDS ANALYSIS
Offense was never the issue with Toronto. The team can score plenty of runs and leads the majors with 5.3 per game. The problem was pitching. The Jays lacked a true ace and have experienced bullpen issues for most of the season. The acquisition of five-time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki got massive amounts of publicity. Then the Jays pulled off another stunner, dealing for David Price. The biggest deals, however, were the ones to solidify a shaky bullpen. Toronto got Mark Lowe from Seattle and LaTroy Hawkins in the Tulo trade. Since getting Tulowitzki the Blue Jays have been smoking hot winning seven of eight games, up 5.77 units on the moneyline, while averaging 6.0 runs. But all those games were at Rogers Centre and the Jays need to prove they can win on the road with their remodeled roster. Toronto has just six wins in its last 16 road contests and hasn’t won two games in a row since sweeping the Red Sox at Fenway Park in early June. The Jays won four of the first six head-to-head meetings with the Yankees, winning twice when the teams played in Yankee Stadium in the opening series of the season.
PITCHING MATCHUP
David Price (10-4, 2.45 ERA) was dominant in his Blue Jays debut striking out 11 over eight innings while retiring the final 15 batters he faced in a 5-1 win. The Twins managed just three hits off him and never threatened. The only blemish was a second-inning Torii Hunter home run. The Jays will need him to repeat the effort against the Yankees, who they trail in the AL East.
No stranger to Yankee Stadium, Price is 6-2 with a 3.52 ERA in 13 career starts there. Price was rocked for eight earned on 10 hits in just 2.1 innings when he faced the Yankees as a member of the Tigers on Apr. 22 in his worst outing of the season.
The Yankees haven’t confirmed a starter but the spot is reserved for Ivan Nova (4-3, 3.10 ERA) as long as his arm feels strong enough. Nova was sharp in Sunday’s win over the White Sox, allowing just one run on five hits over six innings. He complained of a tired arm after completing five innings at Texas on July 27, but that didn’t appear to be an issue Sunday.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“It makes my job easier when I don’t have to try to do too much. I’m not THE guy in the lineup. There’s a lot of guys who can come through and hit home runs at any point in time. I really haven’t had that in my career. I’ve played with good players, not this many of them.” – Toronto’s recent acquisition Troy Tulowitzki adjusting to his teammates.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
The Blue Jays have plenty of pop at the top with recently acquired Troy Tulowitzki batting ahead of Josh Donaldson at the top of order. The pair went deep in Tuesday’s win over Minnesota and Donaldson connected again on Wednesday for his 29th of the year. The long ball was his third in as many games and his sixth in 10 games. Of his 29 homers, 18 have either tied the game or given the Blue Jays a lead. Tulowitzki, meanwhile, has looked comfortable in unfamiliar territory. Batting leadoff for the first time in his career, Tulo reached base safely in his first eight games and homered twice while the Blue Jays went 6-0 with him in the starting lineup.
PROP TALK
Brian McCann is one of the few left-handed hitters who’s had success hitting against David Price. And he’s had a lot of it. McCann tweaked his knee Tuesday and is expected to sit a few games. New York could use him against Price. The Yanks catcher is batting .563 in his career against Price with nine hits in 16 at-bats and one-third of his hits have left the yard. That’s right, McCann has three homers along with seven RBIs against the ace lefty. He needs two more homers this season to reach 20 for the eighth consecutive season.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Now that the Blue Jays have added an ace to their rotation and perhaps the best all-around shortstop in the game, it’s hard not to like their chances. Of course David Price only takes the mound every fifth day and Troy Tulowitzki has had health concerns for the past few seasons, but when they’re on the field, the Jays are a good bet. And we haven’t even mentioned what the likes of Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion bring. I like what the Jays did at the deadline and the moves will pay off.
Toronto 6, New York 2
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Since this game can be seen by anyone with a TV, BookMaker will have a multitude of wagering options available for it. Outside of the normal lines, you can gamble on real-time moneylines, player props and inning totals. Live betting is open during every commercial break!
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today! The ballgame pitting the Toronto Blue Jays versus the New York Yankees will commence Saturday, August 8, 2015, at 1:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
