Marcus Stroman (9-5, 4.47 ERA) and Ervin Santana (6-10, 3.33 ERA) take the hill in the second of a three-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (72-56) and the Minnesota Twins (49-79) at the Rogers Centre. The Twins lost the last game 15-8, continuing an eight-game losing streak. Action begins at 1:07 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 27 and can be seen on FSN and RSN.
Stroman pitched 7.1 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out nine and walking one in a 3-2 defeat to the Indians. Josh Donaldson (.289, 101 Rs, 30 HRs, 85 RBIs, 6 SBs) had another good game yesterday, going 2 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and three RBIs. Santana went 7.0 innings, surrendering two, striking out 10 and walking one in a 2-1 defeat to the Royals in his last outing. Max Kepler (.254, 43 Rs, 15 HRs, 56 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 3 yesterday with one run and one RBI.
This one isn’t expected to be close when Toronto, a big -186 favorite, takes on Minnesota. The matchup has an estimated Over/Under (O/U) of nine runs. Though the Blue Jays have had a tough season in terms of their overall money line (-214), they have done fairly well as a favorite with a record of 57-37. The Blue Jays have no trouble scoring as they rank third in the AL in offense with 4.8 runs per game. The Blue Jays are one of the best in the MLB in terms of extra base hits with 428. Opposing batters know they’re in for a battle when they play Toronto. The Blue Jays are the top team when it comes to pitching, allowing a league-low 4.1 runs per game. The Blue Jays are the fourth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.227 so far this season.
In the other locker room, Minnesota is coming in with an overall money line of -1,884 and a disappointing record of 37-60 as the underdog. They played poorly as the underdog over their last 10 games with a 1-6 record and a 2-8 record SU.
The Blue Jays lead the season series, 4-1. The Blue Jays have a 53-38 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Santana takes the mound. Stroman (RHP) will be on the hill against the Twins, who have a inferior 34-60 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Toronto is 27-26, while Minnesota is 27-31.
The Twins managed to give up five walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Blue Jays who are heading in with a 25-14 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Twins are 36-8. The Blue Jays have a 58-9 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 14th in runs, Minnesota has earned 582 this season. Toronto ranks seventh with 623 runs.
Ranking 12th, Minnesota is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 401 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at third with 478.
The Blue Jays are 64-33 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Twins are 40-43 when they hit at least one homer.
