Monday’s MLB schedule includes an AL East showdown between the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays, who begin a series against one another with big implications in the Wild Card race.
For Monday’s series opener, the Blue Jays are favored with a moneyline of -160 compared to Baltimore’s moneyline of +135. There is also an over/under of nine runs.
The Blue Jays were red-hot toward the end of July, but they are just 3-3 since the start of August. However, Toronto’s recent success has taken them to second place in the AL East, 9.5 games back of the Yankees. More importantly, they have climbed to the top of the Wild Card standings.
The Orioles, meanwhile, saw their five-game winning streak come to an end on Sunday. Despite that loss, they are 9-4 over their last 13 games, as they continue to come on strong and are four games over .500. Baltimore is now just two games out of a Wild Card spot and very much in the playoff race.
Air Jordan
The Orioles will send Jordan Lyles to the mound for Monday’s series opener. Throughout 22 starts this year, he’s been a solid mid-rotation starter, going 8-8 with a 4.40 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.
He was sharp in July, posting a 3.58 ERA over six starts, and allowed just one run over 6.1 innings in his first start in August, with Lyles helping the Orioles win five of the last six games he’s started.
Meanwhile, the Baltimore lineup has cooled off, scoring just one run twice in the team’s last three games. However, the Orioles have also scored at least six runs in four of their last six games, so there have been plenty of bright spots lately. Jorge Mateo and Adley Rutschman are red-hot, with Cedric Mullins and Terrin Vavra also starting to heat up.
Looking for a Lefty
The Blue Jays will counter Baltimore’s lineup with lefty Yusei Kikuchi. Over his first 18 starts of the season, Kikuchi is 4-5 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP.
The good news is that Kikuchi has allowed three runs on five hits over his last nine innings since returning from the IL, although he’s averaging just 4.1 innings per start, so a problematic Toronto bullpen might have a lot of heavy lifting to do.
As for the Toronto lineup, the Blue Jays have scored three runs or less in four of their last six games. With the likes of Vladimir Guerrero, Alejandro Kirk, and Teoscar Hernandez, the Jays can get going at any point.
Guerrero and Hernandez both have an OPS over 1.100 over the past week, although Kirk, Matt Chapman, and other key members of Toronto’s lineup have all fallen into a deep slump.
Bird Battle
With the Blue Jays cooling down, Toronto has little value as a road favorite in this game. Meanwhile, the Orioles have started to heat up over the past week and have been great in games Lyles has started over the past month.
Take a chance on the Orioles winning Monday’s game as home underdogs.
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