Aaron Sanchez (0-2, 6.23 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays (7-7) go up against Ubaldo Jimenez (1-0, 0.00 ERA) and the Baltimore Orioles (7-7) in the second of a three-game division series at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won the last game 13-6 and Toronto leads the series 1-0. The game gets underway at 7:07 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Apr. 22 and will air on MASN2 and RSN.
Sanchez is 0-1 with a 5.62 ERA against the Orioles in his career, and is up against a strong Baltimore offense that’s hitting .276 on the year. Josh Donaldson (.345, 11 Rs, 3 HRs, 11 RBIs) played well again yesterday, going 3 for 4 with one run and one RBI. In his career against the Blue Jays, Jimenez is 4-3 with a 4.01 ERA. He gets a solid Toronto offense that’s batting .259. Adam Jones (.442, 12 Rs, 5 HRs, 16 RBIs) has been hitting the ball well for the Orioles, going 2 for 4 yesterday.
Toronto is a slight -109 favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is eight runs. The Blue Jays have a losing record of 3-5 when playing as the favorite and an overall money line of -285. Over the last 10 games, they have performed poorly when playing as the favorite (2-5). The Blue Jays are a dangerous hitting team with 48 extra base hits, one of the highest totals in the MLB.
On the other side, the Orioles have a record of 3-3 when they are the underdog and are +127 overall with the money line. Against divisional rivals, they are 7-6 SU and 3-3 as the underdog. They also average just 6.8 hits allowed per game, best in the AL.
In their previous four games this season, the Blue Jays have a 3-1 record. The Blue Jays will take on a right-hander (Jimenez) in this game. They have done very poorly against right-handed starting pitchers this season (4-7), especially at home where they have a 1-5 record. Taking the hill against the Orioles will be the right-hander Sanchez. They sport a 6-5 record against righties.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
Baltimore recorded at least two errors for the second time this season. Toronto has never registered more than one error in a game this season.
In extra innings, the Blue Jays are 1-0.
The Orioles managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Blue Jays who are heading in with a 4-3 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Orioles are 6-2. The Blue Jays have a 7-1 record when outhitting opponents.
Toronto ranks at the top of the league when it comes to runs with 83 this season. Baltimore ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 68.
Ranking 14th, Baltimore is in the top half of the league in walks, notching 38 this season. Toronto ranks in the top 10 at seventh with 46.
The Blue Jays are 6-1 in games where they hit one or more home runs. The Orioles are 7-4 when they hit at least one homer.
