The Toronto Blue Jays face off against the Boston Red Sox in Toronto for their second series in two weeks. This is the first game of a massive four game series between these teams. The Blue Jays won two out of the first three games between these teams in Boston. The Blue Jays were just 9-10 against the Red Sox last season, but we can’t forget that the Blue Jays weren’t able to play at home for half the season. They’ve now won 7 of the last 10 games between these teams with home field being restored. Tanner Houck was unable to travel to Canada for this series because he is unvaccinated, and the Red Sox could be missing more players as well. Garrett Whitlock will transition from the bullpen to the starting rotation because of Houck’s absence.
Both these bullpens are completely worn down after playing plenty of close games in their last series. Hansel Robles, Jake Diekman, and Matt Barnes would all be pitching in their 3rd game in 4 nights if they were to make an appearance for the Red Sox. Jordan Romano will be unavailable for the Blue Jays after pitching 3 of the last 4 nights. Yimi Garcia, Tim Mayza, and Adam Cimber would also be pitching in their third game in four nights if they make an appearance. The Red Sox also had one of their best relievers in Garrett Whitlock build up to be a starter for this series. Tanner Houck is unvaccinated and unable to play in Canada, and there might be a couple others on the Red Sox who also didn’t make the trip.
Nathan Eovaldi has pitched well in his first three starts including his last start against the Blue Jays, but he has yet to pitch more than 5 innings. He has also already allowed 5 home runs in just 14.2 IP. Jose Berrios also pitched well his last time out against Boston, but I don’t think he’ll have as much success this time around. Although, the Red Sox are ranked 5th worst in the league in wOBA against righties while the Blue Jays are ranked 9th. The Blue Jays are on a roll right now and they head home where they are 4-2 on the season. The Red Sox are 4-5 on the road and just 5-8 against teams over .500.
Take the Blue Jays at home.
