The Toronto Blue Jays are set to face off against the Cleveland Indians at Progressive Field in the 2 game of their doubleheader. The opening pitch is scheduled for 4:40 p.m. ET and SportsTime Ohio will be airing this AL showdown.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Indians Odds
The Blue Jays have gone 17-13 SU this year and are 17-12 against the spread (ATS). They’ve gained 3.9 units for bettors taking the moneyline through the early portions of the year and 5.5 units ATS. Toronto has covered the spread five times in its last seven games and the over has hit in five of those seven. The Indians, on the other hand, are 16-13 SU and 10-18 ATS. They’ve lost 4.4 units for moneyline bettors and 9.4 units ATS. Cleveland has covered the spread just twice over its last seven games and the total has gone over in six of those seven.
Indians games have an over/under record of 13-15 so far in 2018. The Blue Jays have an over/under record of 14-12-3.
Joe Biagini is getting the nod for the Blue Jays. The right-handed Biagini is 0-0 with a 4.76 ERA and four strikeouts. He has yet to face the Indians this year and did not record a start against them in 2017, either.
The Indians will put the ball in the right hand of Adam Plutko (0-0, ERA, WHIP), who has zero strikeouts and zero walks this season. Plutko did not record any MLB pitching stats in 2017.
Cleveland’s pitching staff has yielded 4.0 runs per game overall in 2018 as a unit. The team’s starting pitching staff has an ERA of 3.33, a WHIP of 1.06 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 8.2. The bullpen has a 4.57 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 9.1 K/9.
Cleveland’s offense has produced 4.1 runs per contest, including 5.2 per game over its last 10 games and 6.6 per game over its last five. The team’s hit .289/.351/.497 over its last five matchups and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Indians’ batters have been led by third baseman Jose Ramirez and left fielder Michael Brantley. Ramirez is hitting .270/.352/.514 with seven home runs, 16 RBIs and 14 runs scored, and Brantley is hitting .333 with three homers, 15 RBIs and seven runs scored.
Brantley enjoyed batting against righty pitching at home last season, slashing .323/.400/.511 across 150 such plate appearances (his overall season line was .299/.358/.444).
For the visiting squad, Toronto’s pitching staff allowed 4.3 runs per game and its starters own a 5.23 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 8.61 K/9. The bullpen has logged an excellent ERA of just 2.33, along with a WHIP of 1.39 and a K/9 of 9.12.
Blue Jays hitters have slashed .232/.321/.421 on their way to 5.2 runs scored per game in 2018, including 4.1 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 5.0 per game over the team’s last five outings (3-2 SU).
Toronto’s hitters have been led by outfielders Kevin Pillar and Teoscar Hernandez. Pillar is hitting .324/.374/.577 with four home runs, 15 RBIs, 21 runs and five steals, while Hernandez (.292/.354/.611) is up to four homers, 11 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
Hernandez did not do as well hitting against right-handed pitchers on the road in 2017. Over 30 such plate appearances, he put up a slash line of .231/.333/.500 (compared to his overall season line of .271/.315/.624).
The Blue Jays have gained 4.7 units and are 9-8 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has cashed in eight of those games, as opposed to eight that’ve gone under against righty starters. On the other hand, the Indians have lost 6.8 units and are 7-12 ATS when facing a righty starter. The over’s cashed in nine of those games, compared to 10 that’ve gone under.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Indians MLB Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Indians, ATS Winner – Blue Jays, O/U – OVER
Notes
Betting Trends
The Blue Jays have hit 15 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
Cleveland has posted 23.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 contests and 28.2 over its last five.
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