R.A. Dickey (1-3, 4.38 ERA) and Clay Buchholz (1-4, 6.03 ERA) are on the hill in the last of a three-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (16-15) and the Boston Red Sox (13-17) at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won the last game 7-1 and Toronto leads the series 2-0. Action begins at 1:07 p.m. ET on Sunday, May. 10 and can be seen on NESN, RSN and MLB Network.
Dickey is 6-4 with a 4.13 ERA in his appearances against the Red Sox, and goes up against a below-average Boston offense which is batting just .234 this season. Josh Donaldson (.320, 25 Rs, 7 HRs, 20 RBIs, 2 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 3 for 5 with two runs and one RBI. Buchholz is 11-9 with a 3.38 ERA against the Blue Jays in his career. He is up against a good Toronto offense that’s batting .261. Mookie Betts (.242, 17 Rs, 5 HRs, 18 RBIs, 5 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 5 yesterday with one run.
Toronto is a -127 favorite against Boston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at eight runs. Though the Blue Jays have had a tough season in terms of their overall money line (-114), they have done fairly well as a favorite with a record of 9-5. Toronto is unbeaten as the favorite and has a 6-4 SU record in its last ten outings. The Blue Jays have no trouble scoring as they lead the AL in offense with 5.4 runs per game. The Blue Jays are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits at home with a phenomenal 9.3 per game.
In games where it is the underdog, Boston has a 4-5 record and an overall money line of -629. They have been on a bit of a dry streak over their last 10 games. They managed a 0-1 record when playing as the underdog. Offensively, the Red Sox have really sputtered in the last 10 games. They have decreased their season average of 4.4 runs per game by averaging 3.3 during that stretch. Boston is excellent at drawing walks with an AL-best 4.0 per game.
The Blue Jays lead the season series, 3-2. The Blue Jays have a 10-14 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Buchholz takes the mound. Dickey (RHP) will be on the hill against the Red Sox, who have a 10-13 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
For the third time this season, the Red Sox registered at least two errors in a game.
When the Blue Jays play into extra innings, they have a 1-0 record. The Red Sox are 1-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
Having scored one run in their last game, the Red Sox are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Blue Jays have a 6-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Red Sox are 2-17. The Blue Jays have a 2-13 record when opponents outhit them.
Boston ranks in the top 10 of the league at eighth when it comes to home runs, hitting 32 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with 37.
Toronto and Boston both rank in the top 10 of the league in hits. Toronto sits at sixth with 8.73 hits per game and Boston ranks 10th with 8.07.
Ranking 22nd, Boston is near the bottom of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.687). Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with an OPS of .770.
The Red Sox are 6-16 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Blue Jays are 9-11 when they allow at least one homer.
