The Toronto Blue Jays face off against the Boston Red Sox in Toronto today for the second game of this three game division series. The Blue Jays faced off against the Red Sox last night and absolutely dominated them with a final score of 9-0. Nick Pivetta was hit hard by the Blue Jays, but the Red Sox bullpen was hit even harder. Tyler Danish pitched two innings after Nick Pivetta and allowed four runs. Franklin German pitched after him and allowed a run in an inning pitched. The Red Sox bullpen has really struggled lately, and it was evident in the game yesterday. Alek Manoah absolutely dominated the Red Sox yesterday pitching six innings but only allowing two hits. He didn’t allow a run. Yusei Kikuchi came in to pitch after Manoah and pitched three scoreless innings, so the Blue Jays were able to save all their top bullpen arms as well. Every Blue Jays starter had a hit last night except Matt Chapman, so I think that momentum carries over into today.
The Blue Jays are on a roll right now and they still have home field advantage in the Wild Card game to play for. They are currently just 0.5 games up on the Seattle Mariners for the top Wild Card position. In the new Wild Card format, all three games are in the same city, so it is crucial to have those games at home. Brayan Bello has been a lot better lately, but Ross Stripling is 4-1 with a 3.66 ERA in his last seven games. The Blue Jays are also 18-10 in their last 30 days including 7-5 at home. The Red Sox are 12-14 in the same time span, but they are just 3-10 on the road. The Red Sox bullpen is also ranked 25th in the last 30 days as I alluded to. They really don’t have anyone they can rely on in their bullpen. The Blue Jays are ranked 14th in bullpen ERA in that same time. The biggest thing here though is how dominant the Blue Jays have been over the Red Sox. The Blue Jays are 14-3 against the Red Sox this season and one of those losses was the first game these two matched up this season. I like the Blue Jays to stay hot against the Red Sox and at home.
John's Pick: Blue Jays -145 vs. Red Sox