Runs may be hard to come by in this one as David Price (13-4, 2.42 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (74-56) meet Danny Salazar (11-7, 3.30 ERA) and the Cleveland Indians (63-66) in the first of a three-game series at the Rogers Centre. The Indians enter this series on a five-game winning streak. The game gets underway at 7:07 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 31 and will air on STOh and RSN.
In his last start, Price pitched 6.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out eight and walking one in a 12-4 victory over the Rangers. Josh Donaldson (.301, 101 Rs, 36 HRs, 106 RBIs, 5 SBs) continued his strong season yesterday, going 2 for 5 with one run, one home run, and two RBIs. The Indians were unsuccessful to the Yankees 6-2 the last time Salazar pitched. He went 4.2 innings, allowing four runs (one unearned) and striking out six. Michael Brantley (.325, 60 Rs, 11 HRs, 73 RBIs, 14 SBs) has been doing well, going 2 for 4 yesterday with three runs and one RBI.
Toronto is a considerable -180 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is seven runs. The Blue Jays have a winning record of 54-28 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +752. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (7-2). The Blue Jays come into the game with the top-ranked scoring offense in the AL, averaging 5.5 runs per game. Toronto’s pitching staff can be considered one of the best in the AL. The Blue Jays have a team ERA of 3.78, one of the lowest in their league. The Blue Jays are second in the AL in hits allowed at home with just 7.7 per game.
On the other side, the Indians have a record of 19-26 when they are the underdog and are -1,599 overall with the money line. The Indians average just 7.2 strikeouts per road game, one of the lowest marks in the AL. Shifting to the pitching staff, they have a WHIP of 1.19 on the year, good for fourth in the league.
The Blue Jays will take on a right-hander (Salazar) in this game and have a 54-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. The left-handed Price will take the mound against the Indians. Against lefty starters this season, they have an awful 16-27 record.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, O/U – Over
Notes
The Blue Jays are coming off of a weak pitching game where they recorded two strikeouts. The Indians have a record of 1-1 when opponents’ pitchers have that many strikeouts or fewer.
When they are outhit, the Indians are 8-49. The Blue Jays have a 12-45 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Toronto has hit 184 this season. Cleveland ranks 24th with 106 home runs.
Ranking seventh, Cleveland is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.65 per game. Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.97.
Ranking first in on-base plus slugging percentage, Toronto has an OPS of .791 this season. Cleveland ranks 13th with an OPS of .723.
The Indians are 39-54 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Blue Jays are 42-40 when they allow at least one homer.
