Marcus Stroman (4-0, 2.25 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays go up against Johnny Cueto (12-13, 3.46 ERA) and the Kansas City Royals in Game 3 of the League Championship Series at the Rogers Centre. The Royals won the last game 6-3, and Kansas City leads the series 2-0. The game starts at 8:07 p.m. ET on Monday, Oct. 19 and will air on FS1.
In Game 5 of the Divisional Playoffs, Stroman pitched 6.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out four and walking one in a 6-3 victory over the Rangers. Josh Donaldson (.294, 128 Rs, 43 HRs, 127 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 5 Saturday with one run. The Royals were victorious over the Astros 7-2 the last time Cueto pitched. He went 8.0 innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight. Lorenzo Cain (.304, 107 Rs, 17 HRs, 75 RBIs, 29 SBs) went 1 for 3 Saturday with one run.
Toronto is a -172 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at eight runs. The Blue Jays have a winning record of 72-37 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of +979. Over the last 10 games, they have a very good record when playing as the favorite (5-1). The Blue Jays are a power hitting team with 240 home runs, one of the highest totals in the MLB. The Blue Jays typically don’t swing at bad pitches, which has led to an AL-high 3.5 walks per game. Toronto’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game rose to 5.4 during that span, compared to its 4.1 season average. 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 Royals come into this game with a win percentage of .552 when playing as the underdog (37-30) and an overall money line of +1,904. Kansas City is one of the top hitting teams in the league with 503 extra base hits. The Royals have racked up 109 steals on the year, making them one of the most threatening base-running teams in the league.
The Royals have mostly come out on top against the Blue Jays in their previous nine games this season, earning a 5-4 record. This game will feature Cueto (RHP) on the mound against the Blue Jays, who have a 73-54 record when they take on a right-handed starter. Taking the hill against the Royals will be the right-hander Stroman. They sport a 64-41 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
The Toronto batters brought in a solid 10 hits last game. Kansas City has a record of 18-41 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
It looks like the Royals have a slight leg up on the Blue Jays, as the Royals have won their last four games while the Blue Jays have lost their last two.
When they outhit their opponents, the Blue Jays are 78-11. The Royals have a 78-8 record when outhitting opponents.
Toronto ranks at the top of the league when it comes to runs with 920 this season. Kansas City ranks in the top five at fourth with 760.
Toronto ranks at the top of the league when it comes to walks with 593 this season. Kansas City ranks near the bottom at 27th with 401.
When the Blue Jays hit at least one home run, they are 86-40, well-matched with the Royals who are 68-33 when hitting one or more homers.
