Mark Buehrle (13-6, 3.60 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (72-56) go up against Alfredo Simon (11-8, 4.89 ERA) and the Detroit Tigers (60-68) in the last of a three-game series at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won the last game 15-1 and Toronto leads the series 2-0. The game gets underway at 1:07 p.m. ET on Sunday, Aug. 30 and will air on FSDT and RSN.
In his most recent outing, Buehrle pitched 6.0 innings, allowing five runs, striking out three and walking one in a 6-5 loss to the Rangers. Josh Donaldson (.300, 100 Rs, 35 HRs, 104 RBIs, 5 SBs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 4 with two runs and two RBIs. The Tigers were unsuccessful to the Angels 8-7 the last time Simon pitched. He went 4.1 innings, allowing eight runs, striking out two and walking four.
Toronto is a heavy -270 favorite at home and the Over/Under (O/U) for this matchup is set at nine runs. The Blue Jays have a winning record of 53-28 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +652. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (7-2). The Blue Jays have the most prolific offense in the entire AL, averaging 5.4 runs per game. The Blue Jays rank fourth in the AL in hits with 8.9 per game. They have been very patient at the plate, ranking second in the AL with an average of 3.4 walks per game. Turning to the pitching staff, the Blue Jays are the best in the AL in walks allowed, giving up just 2.5 per game.
Moving on to the away team, the Tigers come into this game with a weak win percentage of .394 when playing as the underdog (26-40) and an overall money line of -839. They have played poorly as the underdog as of late. They managed a 1-5 record when playing as the underdog and an SU record of 3-7. Detroit is the top hitting team in the AL with an average of 9.5 hits per contest.
The Blue Jays are 3-2 against the Tigers this season. This game will feature Simon (RHP) on the mound against the Blue Jays, who have a 53-44 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Tigers will be the left-hander Buehrle. They sport an 18-14 record against southpaws.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, O/U – Over
Notes
Toronto won its last game in a shutout, its eighth of the season. Detroit has been shut out six times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Blue Jays are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Tigers have a 10-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Tigers are 7-46. The Blue Jays have a 12-45 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Toronto has hit 176 this season. Detroit ranks 13th with 131 home runs.
Ranking first in hits, Detroit has earned 9.48 per game this season. Toronto ranks fourth with 8.90 hits.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Toronto has an OPS of .783 this season. Detroit ranks second with an OPS of .762.
The Tigers are 29-53 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Blue Jays are 42-40 when they allow at least one homer.
