Drew Hutchison (8-1, 4.99 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (42-39) are in Detroit to go up against Anibal Sanchez (6-7, 4.63 ERA) and the Tigers (39-39) in a game that could have plenty of offense. This is the first of a three-game series at Comerica Park. The game gets underway at 7:08 p.m. ET on Friday, Jul. 3 and will air on RSN, FSN-DET and MLB Network.
Sanchez is 2-2 with a 4.41 ERA against the Blue Jays in his career, and faces a solid Toronto offense that’s hitting .267 on the year. Miguel Cabrera (.345, 43 Rs, 15 HRs, 53 RBIs, 1 SB) went 1 for 2 yesterday with one run. In his career against the Tigers, Hutchison is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 0.43 WHIP, and seven strikeouts. Josh Donaldson (.300, 60 Rs, 19 HRs, 52 RBIs, 3 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one RBI.
Detroit is a -125 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Tigers are 24-20 as the favorite and have an overall money line of -319. The most recent 10-game stretch for the Tigers has gone great. Over that span, Detroit is averaging 5.7 runs per game, well over their season average of 4.3. The Tigers lead the AL in hits with 9.6 per game. Detroit’s pitching staff has fallen apart in the past 10 games. Its average runs allowed per game rose to 5.8 during that span, compared to its 4.5 season average.
On the other side, the Blue Jays have a record of 16-21 when they are the underdog and are +86 overall with the money line. They sport the top-ranked offense in the AL, averaging 5.4 runs per game. Toronto is one of the top hitting teams in the AL with an average of 8.9 hits per contest. Opposing pitchers have routinely struggled to strike out the Toronto batters, who rank fifth in the AL with 7.2 strikeouts per game.
The Tigers will take on a right-hander (Hutchison) in this game and have a 28-31 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season. Taking the hill against the Blue Jays will be the right-hander Sanchez. They sport a 31-33 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
When the Blue Jays play into extra innings, they have a 3-2 record. The Tigers are 3-5 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Toronto batters brought in a solid 14 hits last game. Detroit has a record of 1-9 when their opponents get that many hits or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Tigers are 33-10. The Blue Jays have a 36-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Toronto tops the league in runs with 441 this season. Detroit ranks in the top half at 12th with 338.
Ranking 14th, Detroit is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 232 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at third with 266.
The Tigers are 29-16 when they hit at least one home run. The Blue Jays perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 37-20 record.
