It’s the start of a new series in the Motor City on Friday night as the Toronto Blue Jays travel to Detroit for a four-game set.
These teams hold nearly identical records, but one team has been playing far better as of late. On the mound on Friday night is Kevin Gausman for the Jays and Jack Flaherty for the Tigers, which means it’s a battle of aces.
Gausman enters this game with a 4.89 ERA. Keep in mind, Gausman hasn’t finished a season with an ERA above 4.00 since 2019. It’s been a slow start for the Toronto ace, but he’s shown flashes of brilliance at times this season.
As for Flaherty, he’s been a stud as he’s posted a 3.79 ERA and 2.91 xERA. He’s been a pleasant surprise for Detroit, and he’s thrown three consecutive quality starts.
This matchup is seen as a pick’em between two very even teams each with one of their best pitchers. However, one team has had a lot more success in the last week.
Toronto has won three of their last four games and Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are finally starting to see the ball well. The Blue Jays lineup had a terrible April, and a lot of the blame could be put on the top half of the order.
Even George Springer has been moved out of the leadoff spot. But in the last few days, the Toronto lineup has come alive and has finally looked dangerous with Davis Schneider batting first.
The Tigers have lost four straight games, and that includes being swept by divisional foe Kansas City. The Royals were able to take advantage of Detroit’s pitching and struggling bullpen by scoring 26 runs in just three games.
Even Tarik Skubal got knocked around by the Royals. As for Flaherty, he’s been fantastic this season and has provided the Tigers with plenty of excellent outings as Skubal’s sidekick.
However, the problem is with Detroit’s lineup. The Blue Jays are hitting better right now, and since the pitching matchup is very even, take the better offense and side with the visitors.
This matchup is the perfect recipe for the Under. Flaherty has been fantastic at minimizing mistakes since he owns one of the best strikeout-to-walk ratios in the league. Plus, he’s surrendered three runs or less in seven of his nine starts this season.
Ideally, Flaherty will pitch six innings and make it easier for the bullpen since the relievers just had a long series against the Royals. If he can put together another quality start, the game might only see a handful of runs.
Gausman has been like a box of chocolates at times this season - you don't know what you're going to get - but one thing for sure is he pitches a lot better on the road. The Toronto ace owns a 6.20 ERA in five starts at home, and that includes his last two starts in which he allowed 10 runs in just nine innings.
However, on the road, Gausman’s ERA drops to 3.06. He’s allowed one earned run or less in three of his four outings on the road. With that in mind, take the Under in a battle of aces in the Motor City.
Toronto Blue Jays | -105 ML |
Detroit Tigers | -115 ML |
Run Line | DET Tigers -1.5 |
Total | O/U 7.5 |
Bo Bichette (TOR Blue Jays) | +750 |
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR Blue Jays) | +500 |
Daulton Varsho (TOR Blue Jays) | +650 |
Riley Greene (DET Tigers) | +600 |
Kerry Carpenter (DET Tigers) | +700 |
Spencer Torkelson (DET Tigers) | +525 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
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