The last time the Cleveland Indians were in Toronto, they defeated the Blue Jays in the American League Championship Series to advance to the World Series. They are playing well enough to feel like they have a good shot at getting back there, while Toronto needs to turn it around in a hurry if it wants to get back in the playoff hunt.
Cleveland has won three of its past four games to move to the top of the American League Central at 17-13 and will aim to stay there with a good showing against the Blue Jays. Toronto is just 11-20 thus far and in dead last in the American League East.
While the Indians are on the road for this one, they could be favored to capture the series.
This series will be contested from Monday, May 8 through Wednesday, May 10, 2017 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
Pitching Matchups
The Blue Jays have the advantage at the starting pitching spot on Monday, as they will send Marcus Stroman to the mound to face Cleveland’s Trevor Bauer. Stroman is 2-2 on the season with a 3.89 ERA. He did not fare well last time out against the Yankees but has otherwise been solid. Bauer is 2-3 on the year with an ugly 7.67 ERA. Even though his numbers are bad, Bauer is striking out more than a batter per inning and should get the ERA down as the season moves along.
Cleveland has the advantage on Tuesday as it will send Carlos Carrasco against a yet-to-be-determined starter for Toronto. Carrasco is 3-2 on the season with with a 2.18 ERA, striking out 39 batters and walking just eight in 41.1 innings of work.
If the teams split the first two games of this series, it will come down to the rubber match on Wednesday. The Indians will send Danny Salazar to the mound against Francisco Liriano. Salazar is only 2-3 on the season with a 4.28 ERA, but has 49 strikeouts in only 33.2 innings pitched, which is a sign of his dominant stuff. Liriano is 2-2 with a 4.44 ERA. He also has impressive strikeout numbers, but his 1.75 WHIP and control issues are worrisome.
Edwin Encarnacion Returns To Toronto
Indians slugger Edwin Encarnacion played a huge role in Toronto’s success over the past few seasons, anchoring down the middle of the lineup. He left for Cleveland in free agency and will now play against his former team in Toronto.
Encarnacion is hitting only .217 this season with five homers and 11 RBIs. However, he has a career OPS of .848 and is regularly one of the biggest sluggers in the game. Encarnacion will definitely feel comfortable in a batter’s box he has long been used to swinging in, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him break out in this series.
Encarnacion wants to live up to his big contract, and hurting his former team would be a nice start.
Missing Production
The Blue Jays made the playoffs last season behind an impressive middle of the order core. However, Toronto has been one of the worst offensive teams in the majors early in the season because of their missing sluggers.
Encarnacion has moved on to Cleveland, but the Blue Jays thought they would be fine with Jose Bautista, Josh Donaldson and Troy Tulowitzki picking up the slack. However, Bautista is batting just .174 with two home runs and there are legitimate questions as to whether he is declining now that he’s getting into his later 30s.
Donaldson is an elite hitter but he has missed the majority of the season with a calf injury and will not be back for this series. That is a huge blow as the Blue Jays badly need him to anchor the lineup. Tulowitzki has also been on the disabled list but he has gotten healthier of late and could be activated as early as the opener of this series.
Keep an eye on Tulowitzki’s availability, as he would be a nice addition to a struggling lineup. However, the Indians will still likely be the favorites to claim this series as they have the better pitching and hitting.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
