Two teams with new pieces will hook up when the Kansas City Royals visit Toronto in the first game of a four-game weekend set. The Blue Jays own baseball’s top run producing offense and will face the team with the best record in the American League.
ODDS ANALYSIS
It appeared the Toronto Blue Jays needed to add starting pitching to help their playoff push. Instead, they traded for a star shortstop. Already the major’s highest scoring offense, the Jays added five-time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki to a loaded lineup. The Blue Jays average 5.25 runs per game but their starting rotation owns a dreadful 4.38 ERA, third-worst in the AL, and getting better doesn’t always mean adding a starter or reliever. The Jays are hopeful the addition of Tulowitzki can snap them out of slide that dropped them below .500 after losing four of six, including Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Philadelphia. The Jays are in the red 3.83 units during that streak. KC extended its winning streak to four with Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Cleveland, extending its lead in the AL Central to nine games and overtaking St. Louis as the most profitable team in majors up 22.21 units on the moneyline.
PITCHING MATCHUP
Danny Duffy (4-4, 4.03 ERA) limited the Astros to one run on three hits over six innings in a Saturday no-decision. The Royals are 5-1 in his six starts since returning from the disabled list on June 24. In that span he’s posted a 2.15 ERA and watched his overall ERA drop from 5.87 to 4.03.
Duffy tossed six shutout innings in a win over Toronto on July 10 kicking off an impressive three-game stretch where he’s posted a 0.90 ERA over 20 innings. He’ll be making his first appearance at Rogers Centre.
Marco Estrada (7-6, 3.55 EERA) saw his run of strong outings came to an end during his last start Friday against the Mariners. He made the start on short notice, taking the spot of Drew Hutchison who fell ill, and it clearly impacted his performance. He allowed five earned runs, the first time he allowed more than two since June 14, in just four innings of work.
Estrada gave up nine hits and two earned runs in 6.2 innings but was outdone by Duffy in a 3-0 loss at KC on July 10 in his only appearance against the Royals.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“When you have a chance to get the best player at a respective position and a guy that also brings some intangibles as well, it’s a rare opportunity and we wanted to take advantage of it. Middle of the order bats at shortstop really don’t come around too often.” – Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos on acquiring five-time All-Star Troy Tulowitzki.
LIVE BETTING or SITUATIONAL BETTING
Christmas came early for the Kansas City Royals and manager Ned Yost. KC made another deal Tuesday, though not the blockbuster from two days earlier when the Royals acquired front-line hurler Johnny Cueto. But Tuesday’s acquisition of Ben Zobrist might actually be a bigger deal in the long-run. The moves were made to bolster the Royals’ roster for another run deep into the postseason. The versatility of Zobrist gives Yost another weapon he can maneuver around the field to give other regulars time off when needed. However Yost said Zobrist will mostly play left field until the return of Alex Gordon, who is on the disabled list with a left groin injury.
PROP TALK
Newly-acquired Troy Tulowitzki has a chance to make quite the first impression with his new club. Having played with the Rockies for 10 seasons, Tulo is quite accustomed to playing on teams that can score. But he won’t be the centerpiece in Toronto’s lineup like he was in Colorado. That alone should ease a bit of the anxiety that comes with joining a new club in a different country. Tulo joins his new club with a .300 average, 12 home runs and 53 RBIs, but went hitless in his last 20 at-bats with the Rockies. He’s the only current Toronto player to have a home run off Duffy and hits .333 off him in his career.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Royals’ starter Danny Duffy has been sharp since rejoining the rotation and he twirled a gem at the Blue Jays when the teams met in KC a few weeks back. I can’t imagine Duffy blanking the Jays again, especially after they added Troy Tulowitzki to the middle of their order, but he should do enough to silence their bats and turn the game over to the best bullpen in baseball. And remember, Duffy won nine games last season with a sparkling 2.53 ERA and is much better than his 2015 numbers indicate.
Kansas City 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 Kansas City Royals versus the Toronto Blue Jays will commence Thursday, July 30, 2015, at 7:07 p.m. ET at Rogers Centre. You can watch the contest live on the MLB Network.
