Toronto Blue Jays vs. Boston Red Sox Betting Preview
Where: Fenway Park — Boston, Massachusetts
When: Friday, September 30, 2016, 7:10 PM ET
Line: Toronto Blue Jays (+135) at Boston Red Sox (-150); total: 9.0– view all MLB lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN2
Writer’s Pick: Boston Red Sox (-150)
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Betting on the Toronto Blue Jays (+135)
Two-straight losses to Baltimore delivered a big blow to the Toronto Blue Jays’ postseason hopes. For now though, they’re still in a relatively good situation, hanging on to a slim 1.5-game edge for a wildcard slot in the American League.
With that said, this season-ending series with the Red Sox is obviously going to be very crucial for the Blue Jays, who are sending out Marco Estrada (9-9, 3.53 ERA) on the mound for this evening’s opener.
Estrada brings with him a solid road record this season. He’s 6-2 with a 3.48 ERA through 13 starts away from home. Estrada’s recent form is also something worth talking about, as the Mexican has been sensational in his last two starts. The latest of which was against the Yankees last weekend, wherein he tossed for seven innings of one-run ball to lead Toronto to a 4-3 win.
At the plate, Edwin Encarnacion should be the Blue Jays’ most lethal weapon. He’s been having a helluva year, smashing in new personal highs in runs (98), home runs (42), runs batted in (127) and games played (152). The 33-year-old first baseman also owns a career batting average of .351 versus Boston’s ace in Rick Porcello.
Toronto is 4-6 SU in its last 10 games on the road.
Betting on the Boston Red Sox (-150)
The Boston Red Sox have already locked up the AL East crown—thanks to a loss by Toronto—and are gradually becoming more eager to get the playoffs started. But before that, there’s still some business left to take care of: a final regular-season series against their division rival Blue Jays.
Boston is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees, which makes tonight’s opener a much-needed opportunity to create some momentum for the postseason. Heading up the mound is Rick Porcello (22-4, 3.11 ERA), who has one final chance to make a bid for the American League’s Cy Young Award. He is 13-1 with a 2.88 ERA through 15 starts at home this season.
On offense, expect all the attention to be on the retiring David Ortiz. He was held hitless in the series with New York, but Big Papi should be able to respond well in front of a jam-packed home crowd. On the season, Ortiz is batting .316 with 37 homers and 124 RBIs, while owning a triple-slash line of .335/.429/.684 at Fenway Park.
Boston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Toronto (+135) steals the first meeting, 4-2.
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