The New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays start a four-game MLB betting series tonight to get the month of June rolling.
Time: 7:05 PM
Venue: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Sportsbook MLB Betting odds for fans who bet on baseball:
NY Yankees +1½ (-155) 9 (+105) +140
Blue Jays -1½ (+135) 9 (-125) -150
New York
On the mound: CC ‘Black’ Sabathia (LHP, 5-2, 4.42 ERA, 46 K) strung together his first three winning streak since 2013 against Kansas, Tampa Bay, and Oakland. Sab surrendered two runs on six hits, had a season-best nine strikeouts, and walked three in 6 1/3 innings versus the A’s. He gave up six earned runs in four innings in his last start against Toronto in early May.
Miscellanea: Shortstop Didi Gregorius was hit on the left hand by a throw during the Yanks’ 8-3 win versus Baltimore on Tuesday night. He was X-rayed following the game, and the results came back negative. Gregorius was not in the Yankees’ starting lineup on Wednesday, as Ronald Torreyes got the start at short.
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: The Yankees have not had much straight-up success lately or versus the Blue Jays, going 2-5 in their last seven road games, and 1-8 in their last nine visits to Toronto, but they have covered in 16 of their last 22 on the road and four of their last five against the BJs. The MLB betting total has gone under in 70% of the Yanks’ last 10 games, over in two thirds of the NYY’s last six road games and over in four of their last five meetings with the Blue Jays.
Toronto
On the mound: Marco Estrada (RHP, 4-2, 3.15 ERA, 78 K) has surrendered two earned runs or less in eight of 11 starts and is averaging a career-best 10.2 Ks per nine innings. Additionally, Estrada allowed only one run in six innings against the Texas on Saturday. Batters have generated a .219 expected batting average based on their quality of contact when the righty comes into the strike zone – the third-lowest mark versus any pitcher with at least 100 at-bats ending with in-zone pitches this season.
Miscellanea: The BJs’ rested several of their usuals on Wednesday, but they will all return to the lineup for tonight’s series opener. Josh Donaldson, Troy Tulowitzki, and Kevin Pillar sat out the final game against the Reds.
Trends for fans who bet on baseball: The Blue Jays have won eight of their last nine games and five of their last six at home, including a sweep of Cincinnati, but have only covered in one third of their last nine home games and 20% of their last five encounters with the Yankees. Toronto is 8-1 straight up in the last nine times hosting NYY and 7-2 against the spread in their last nine encounters with the Yanks at Rogers Centre. The MLB betting total has gone under in seven of the Blue Jays’ last eight home games versus the Yankees.