Daniel Norris (1-0, 4.22 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (6-6) meet Shelby Miller (1-0, 0.90 ERA) and the Atlanta Braves (7-4) in the last of a three-game interleague series at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won the last game 6-5 and the series is currently tied 1-1. The game gets underway at 1:07 p.m. ET on Sunday, Apr. 19 and will air on FSN-S and RSN.
In his most recent outing, Norris pitched 5.0 innings, giving up two runs, striking out four and walking three in a 3-2 loss to the Rays. Josh Donaldson (.340, 10 Rs, 3 HRs, 10 RBIs) continued his hot start yesterday, going 3 for 4 with two runs, one home run, and one RBI. In his pitching opportunities against the Blue Jays, Miller is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA, five strikeouts and one walk. Freddie Freeman (.256, 7 Rs, 4 HRs, 8 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well to start the season, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
Toronto, a -121 favorite, will look to capitalize at home against Atlanta. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at eight runs. The Blue Jays have a losing record of 2-4 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -210. They stand winless with a 0-1 record as the favorite and a 0-1 record SU against the National League. Toronto has averaged 7.0 runs per game during interleague play, higher than its season average of 5.6. The Blue Jays are a dangerous hitting team with 39 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB. Whenever an National League opponent shows up on the calendar, the Blue Jays seem to struggle with pitching. They allow an average of 4.6 runs per game, but allow 8.0 against teams from the NL.
Moving on to the away team, the Braves come into this game with a solid win percentage of .714 when playing as the underdog (5-2) and an overall money line of +510. Interleague competitors have not been able to figure out how to stop Atlanta. The Blue Jays have not dropped a game against them and have a 1-0 record when they were an underdog to win. The Braves are the top-ranked scoring offense in the NL when playing on the road, averaging six runs per game so far. Atlanta has an eye for the strike zone on the road, ranking 4.0 in the NL with second walks per game. Atlanta’s pitching staff tends to perform poorly when they play AL opponents. They’ve allowed an average of 7.0 runs per game against teams from the AL, higher than their season average of 3.6.
The Blue Jays will take on a right-hander (Miller) in this game and have a 4-6 record against right-handed starting pitchers this season.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
Atlanta has won 50% (3-3) of its games when leading after 7 innings. However, Toronto has won all of its games (3-0) when taking a late lead.
The Blue Jays managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Braves who are coming in with a 3-1 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Blue Jays are 0-4. The Braves have a 1-4 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Toronto has hit 16 this season. Atlanta ranks seventh with 13 home runs.
Both Toronto and Atlanta are tied at sixth in hits, notching 8.00 per game.
Toronto and Atlanta both rank in the top 10 of the league for their on-base plus slugging percentage. Toronto sits at seventh with an OPS of .751 and Atlanta ranks 10th with an OPS of .721.
The Braves are 2-3 in games where they allow one or more home runs. The Blue Jays are 6-4 when they allow at least one homer.
