ODDS ANALYSIS
Located in different countries, separated by 2,500 miles and playing in different divisions, the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays will always be linked in baseball history. The clubs that joined MLB together back in 1977 meet for the first time this season.
The Mariners dropped two of three in Baltimore to start a nine-game road swing, losing the rubber game of the set 5-4 on Thursday to split their last 10 games. That’s what kind of season it’s been so far. The M’s fell to 2-8 in their last 10 road games following Thursday’s loss down 6.13 units and they’ve been a questionable bet this season in the red 8.23 units on the moneyline and 11.89 units on the runline. The under is 6-2 in their last eight games and 22-17-1 overall, however Thursday’s game put the over at 10-9 in Seattle’s 19 road games.
Toronto gained a split of its four-game set with the Angels posting an 8-4 win Thursday behind RA Dickey, numbing a stretch of seven losses in eight games. The Jays have been a disappointment so far, taking up the basement in the AL East, just below the Red Sox. Despite exceeding the total Thursday, the under is 6-3-1 in the Jays’ last 10 home games and 11-8-1 at Rogers Centre for the year.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Seattle’s James Paxton (2-2, 3.59 ERA) is coming off his best outing of the season tossing eight shutout innings allowing just five hits in a 5-0 win over Boston on Sunday. After three rough starts to begin the year, he’s 2-1 with a 1.38 ERA over his last five games and has a streak of 20 consecutive scoreless innings.
Paxton had a forgettable outing in his only appearance against the Jays giving up eight earned runs and six walks in 2.2 innings of a 14-4 road loss on Sept. 22, 2014.
Mark Buehrle (5-3, 5.36 ERA) tossed an eight-inning complete game Sunday taking the loss after allowing four runs on six hits with five strikeouts against Houston. The veteran lefty has allowed three or more earned runs in five of his eight starts and boasts an uncharacteristically high ERA.
Buehrle has started 17 times in 18 lifetime appearances against the M’s going 8-4 with a 3.56 ERA. He threw eight shutout innings yielding three hits with 10 strikeouts in his last start against the Mariners on Sept. 24, 2014.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“He used the bottom of the zone all day and mixed in off-speed when he needed. He went after guys, he wasn’t afraid to throw to contact. He got plenty of ground balls and weak pop flies. He’ll have games where he strikes out more, but I’ll take these starts where he’s this effective every time.” – Mariners catcher Mike Zunino following eight shutout innings from James Paxton Sunday
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Not much has been working for the Blue Jays bullpen this season. That is a major reason why they are 2-8 in one-run games after losing 4-3 to the Angels on Wednesday. In that game righty Steve Delabar, who hadn’t allowed a hit to a left-handed batter, was brought in to face lefty Marc Krauss, who had just one hit in 14 at-bats since being recalled from Triple-A. Krauss promptly stroked a two-run double giving the Angels the lead and ultimately the victory. That’s a microcosm of the Jays season. They have no defined roles in the pen after Aaron Loup failed and Brett Cecil struggled as the closer. They have just six saves in 13 opportunities. In other words it’s been an adventure.
PROP TALK
The major’s leading home run hitter had a nice series at the plate in his return to Baltimore, now Nelson Cruz looks to continue his torrid pace against one of the worst pitching staffs in the league. Cruz had five hits in 10 at-bats, including his 16th home run, in the series leaving Camden Yards as the AL triple-crown leader. Cruz hit three home runs in 66 at-bats last season against the Jays as a member of the Orioles and has a lifetime .305 average with 17 home runs against Toronto pitching. Mark Buehrle has allowed eight homers in 47 innings this season setting the stage for a Cruz long ball.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The M’s have hit a lot of home runs but have scored few runs, preventing them from putting a sustained streak of wins together. Starter James Paxton has taken it upon himself to get the team wins tossing 20 straight scoreless frames and not relying on his inconsistent offense to outslug the opposition. The M’s need Robinson Cano to snap out of his slump and reenergize a stagnant offense and provide more support for Nelson Cruz.
The Jays lead the majors in runs scored but are struggling to get out of the basement in the AL East. Pitching has been a concern, especially the start of veteran Mark Buehrle, whose 5.36 ERA is among the worst of all qualified starters in the AL. The Jays can score with Josh Donaldson, Juan Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion supplying the punch, but the Jays need pitching and a deal with one of their sluggers may be in the making.
Seattle 5, Toronto 4
The MLB lines for this contest will first be released by BookMaker Sportsbook. Gamble on the game between every half inning with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen in the next at-bat or how many runs will be scored in the next inning. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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 Seattle Mariners versus the Toronto Blue Jays will commence Saturday, May 23, 2015, at 1:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
