Red Sox vs. Blue Jays MLB Odds, Preview, and Pick (Archive)
We’re heading north of the 49th parallel in search of a winning MLB pick as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and the Toronto Blue Jays continue their long series with the Boston Red Sox.
Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 – 07:07 PM EDT at Rogers Centre
Oh, Canada indeed! Talk about your flair for the dramatics, the first two games in Toronto between the Blue Jays and Red Sox have provided more than their fair share of late-game heroics, at least enough to make us forget all the fuss prior to before the series began about which Boston players weren’t making the trip due to Canada’s silly vaccination rules.
Toronto has been on the good side of the MLB scores in each game, and the victories have allowed the Blue Jays to just stay in front of the New York Yankees in the AL East. Boston has slipped back in the division with the two defeats, and the Red Sox are dangerously close to replacing the Baltimore Orioles in the cellar.
Late HRs Propel Jays in First Two Games
According to Wednesday’s baseball odds, Boston could be in the division’s basement by this time tomorrow. The initial mound matchup pits a pair of former college teammates, Michael Wacha (1-0, 1.88) for the Red Sox and Ross Stripling (0-0, 4.50) of the Blue Jays, and Toronto is roughly -140 on the moneyline with 9 for the total.
Bo Bichette’s 8th-inning grand slam was the decisive blow in Monday’s opener, the 6-2 final just pushing past a 7½-run total when the Toronto infielder crossed the plate. George Springer swatted a 9th-inning homer on Tuesday to force extra innings, and Bichette ultimately scored the winning run in the 10th of the Blue Jays’ 6-5 win.
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Toronto has now won four in a row over the Red Sox after the teams met last week in Boston. All three of those games at Fenway stayed ‘under’ the totals, and with the results from the first two games in this set, eight of the last 11 at Rogers Centre have gone past the marks.
‘Under’ Cashes in Both of Wacha’s Road Starts
Teammates at Texas A&M from 2010-12, Wacha and Stripling are facing off for the second time in their professional careers. Their first meeting found the pair in different uniforms, though they essentially wore the same colors with Wacha in Cardinal red and Stripling in Dodger blue. It was Stripling who got the dubya in that meeting nearly six years ago in Los Angeles.
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Now pitching for his fourth team in as many seasons, Wacha is hoping to resurrect a career that got off to such a promising start in 2013 with St. Louis. He is doing well so far with the Red Sox, helping them to two wins in his three starts to date, though there have been some control issues along the way.
It was the long ball that bothered Wacha a little the last time out, though he still got the win in a 4-3 decision at Tampa Bay where Boston was a +137 underdog at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports Review). Both runs Wacha allowed over five innings came on solo homers. His only appearance in Toronto last season saw Wacha knocked around in a 6-3 loss.
Stripling is making his third consecutive start after a couple of relief appearances in Toronto’s bullpen to begin the season. He’s yet to go past the fourth in either assignment with his pitch count held in the low-60s, but the Blue Jays did manage to win both outings.
The 32-year-old made three starts against Boston a year ago and got torched for 16 runs and six long balls across the combined 9.2 IP. It should come as no surprise to learn that Toronto lost all three contests.
Chilly Temps Mean Roof Closed at Rogers
Sean Barber lines up to call balls and strikes for the third game. Now in his ninth season working games at the major league level, this will be Barber’s second plate assignment of 2022 with the first staying ‘under’ the totals at online betting sites. Barber’s games at the dish a year ago ran heavily to the ‘over’ at 21-11 O/U.
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Spring might be in full swing for most of the MLB geography, but winter is still hanging on in parts of Canada. With the weatherman calling for game-time temps in the upper-30s, expect the Rogers Centre roof to be closed.
Speaking of Rogers, I’d like to take this time to wish a happy 126th birthday to Rogers Hornsby, the greatest right-handed batter in MLB history. Now that we have that out of the way, it is Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s time to go deep for the Blue Jays and I see no reason to jump off the ‘over’ train in Toronto.
MLB Pick: Over 9 (+105) with BetOnline (visit BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.