MLB Baseball Betting: Cleveland Indians at Toronto Blue Jays
The Cleveland Indians’ win streak is no more. The Blue Jays ended it at 14 games on Saturday and now Toronto will try to start their own winning streak as they play the Indians at the Rogers Centre on Sunday. The Jays beat Cleveland 9-6 breaking a 6-6 tie with a 3 run 8th inning. Now the Indians are in the tough psychological spot of bouncing back after a long winning streak has been broken. The Indians are still 6 games up on Kansas City atop the AL Central and 6.5 games up on third place Detroit. The Chicago White Sox are just 8.5 games behind so a few wins here and there and we could quickly have a logjam in the division.
The Blue Jays now have a good opportunity to reel in the Baltimore Orioles who have lost two straight (though they have won 7 of their last 10). The Blue Jays now trail the Boston Red Sox by a single game and are five games back of the first place Orioles. Toronto will start lefthander J.A. Happ on Sunday and they’ve done well when he takes the mound despite the fact that his numbers aren’t particularly impressive. The Blue Jays are 11-5 when Happ starts including 6-1 at the Rogers Centre. He’s got a 3.70 ERA overall and a 1.234 WHIP. At home, he’s got a 4.50 ERA overall and a 1.424 WHIP. Toronto has won his last three games with Happ putting up a 4.71 ERA.
Cleveland will respond with Cory Kluber who has been mediocre at best this year. The Indians have split Kluber’s 16 starts overall though they have won 5 of his 9 road starts. They’ve also won two of his last three assignments. He’s got a 3.74 ERA overall, a 3.79 ERA on the road and 4.09 ERA in his last three games. Cleveland is favored in this game which may have a lot to do with their solid performance against left handers this season. The Indians are 15-8 against southpaws which is solid but not sure that’s any better than the way Toronto has hit right handers.
The biggest concern is situational–there’s often a big letdown for a team just off a long winning streak. That gives us enough reason to back Toronto here.
BET TORONTO BLUE JAYS +125 OVER CLEVELAND INDIANS
