A 4-3 homestand so far has the Blue Jays looking over their shoulders at the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox in the ultra-competitive American League East.
It is an interesting time at Ontario sportsbooks, and baseball (especially the Jays) will be a big betting focus all summer.
Where Toronto Blue Jays Stand
After a heated series with the Yankees – where New York left town taking three of four games – the Jays’ focus now turns to the Baltimore Orioles, into the Rogers Centre for a three-game weekend set.
Today the Tampa Bay Rays sit in first at 32-13, followed by the Orioles, at 28-16, 3.5 games back, then the Jays (25-19) are 6.5 games back.
The Yankees are tied with the Jays at 6.5 games back but slightly behind Toronto in winning percentage (26-20, .565) followed by the Red Sox – 24-20, 7.5 games out. So every team in the AL East is over .500.
The Orioles are an up-and-coming MLB team, as customers of Ontario sports betting apps would do well to notice. Catcher Adley Rutschman is the real deal – through 44 games this season he has a .285 average, seven home runs and 24 RBIs. And Baltimore’s bullpen ERA is 2.99, the second best in MLB.
Game 1 of the Orioles-Jays series is tonight at 7:07 p.m. LHP Yusei Kikuchi starts for the Jays (5-0, 3.89 ERA) and he is one of the real surprise stories for the Jays this season. He goes up against RHP Kyle Gibson (4-3, 4.67). No one expected Kikuchi’s performance coming into the season.
On the flipside, RHP Alek Manaoh (1-4, 5.40) is scheduled to start Saturday versus RHP Grayson Rodriguez (2-1, 6.57). Manoah seeks to get his season back on the rails. On Sunday, RHP Kevin Gausman (2-3, 3.27) pitches for the Jays against RHP Dean Kremer (5-1, 4.94).
Ontario Sports Bettors Backing Jays
Sports betting operators at Toronto online casinos are drawing plenty of MLB betting action on the home team.
According to Proline, early betting on tonight’s game is squarely in the Jays’ favour. With Kikuchi on the mound, 77% of bettors are on the Jays Moneyline, and 79% are on them on the Runline at -1.5. The Over/Under is more even, with 56% on the Under 9.5.
A Proline spokesperson adds that the company’s boosted bet is popular: It is Toronto to win, Kikuchi Over 5.5 Strikeouts, and 3B Matt Chapman Over 0.5 RBIs.
Betting on Thursday’s 4-2 Yankees’ win over Toronto showed bettors were respecting the Yankees more than the Orioles – the Moneyline bet leaned toward the Jays at 55%. Bettors also expected more runs, as 85% were on the Over 8.5 last night.
As of Friday afternoon, NorthStar Bets Ontario sportsbook has the Moneyline at Jays -157 for tonight’s game, Baltimore +135, the Runline is Jays -1.5 (+132).
Appealing Pitching Option For Toronto Tonight
Taking the Jays Moneyline with Kikuchi on the mound tonight is a good bet.
Stick with OntarioBets for more sports betting coverage, lifestyle articles and other topics covering gaming in the province, including a guide to Ontario online poker sites.
