Blue Jays Try to Stay Hot vs Mariners

Toronto took three of four from the Baltimore Orioles, including the last two games of the series. The Blue Jays are 40-36 and in third place in the AL East, trailing the second-place Tampa Bay Rays by 5½ games and leading the fourth-place New York Yankees by a game.

If you want to bet on the series opener, the MLB odds have the Blue Jays with a moneyline of -230, while the Mariners are listed at +190. The over/under for the contest has been set at 9½ runs.

On a Roll

Right-hander Chris Flexen will get the start for Seattle in the series opener. The 26-year-old is 6-3 with a 3.87 ERA, striking out 50 and walking 14 in 74.1 innings.

Flexen has been very good in his last two starts, allowing a total of one earned run over 14.2 innings. He took a no-decision in his last start, against Colorado on June 22, going 6.2 innings and giving up one run on four hits, including a home run, while striking out six and walking two.

The Mariners lost on Sunday despite a home run from Mitch Haniger, his team-leading 17th. Haniger also has 16 doubles, a triple and team-best totals of 45 RBIs and 48 runs scored while batting .255.

Shortstop J.P. Crawford leads the team with a .281 batting average. He’s upped that average to .347 in June, hitting nine doubles and three home runs while driving in 14 and scoring 14 times.

Getting Energized

The Blue Jays are hitting the ball and winning, putting together their 34th game with 10 or more hits in a win over Baltimore on Sunday. Toronto comes into Tuesday having won seven of its last eight and ready to make a move on the AL East leaders.

“The whole clubhouse has just great energy,” Blue Jays catcher Reese McGuire said after Sunday’s win. “The guys are excited to show up every day and just expecting to win.”

Leading the way is the most dangerous hitter in the game in designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who had two RBIs on Sunday. Guerrero is third in baseball with a .342 batting average while leading the majors with 66 RBIs and tying for first with 26 home runs. He had a three-game streak of hitting a home run snapped on Sunday.

Shortstop Bo Bichette has also been dangerous, hitting .281 with 17 doubles, a triple, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs. Bichette and Guerrero are 1-2 in baseball in runs scored with 64 and 62, respectively.

Left-hander Robbie Ray will make his 15th start for Toronto. Ray is 5-3 with a 3.35 ERA, striking out 103 and walking 20 in 80.2 innings.

Ray got a win in his last outing against Miami on Wednesday, going six innings and allowing one run on four hits, including a home run, while striking out six and walking one. In five June starts, Ray is 3-1 with a 2.51 ERA.

Series Outlook

Playing at their two homes away from home, Buffalo and their spring training complex in Dunedin, Fla., the Blue Jays haven’t exactly had an advantage, going 16-17. They won three of four against Baltimore at home over the weekend, but that came after dropping its previous four games in Buffalo.

Justus Sheffield (5-7, 5.69 ERA) and Yusei Kikuchi (5-3, 3.34 ERA) will try to shut down the powerful Blue Jays offense. They’ll face off with Steven Matz (7-3, 4.26 ERA) and Hyun Jin Ryu (7-4, 3.41 ERA) as the starters on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively.

The series prices for this three-game set have the Blue Jays at -250 while the Mariners are listed at +200.

Blue Jays Win Opener

Toronto is really hitting the ball well as a team right now and it should be able to get some offense going against Flexen. Seattle’s offense is deceptively good as well, so look for this to be a high-scoring affair.

When making your MLB picks, take Toronto to win a close one in the series opener.

Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -230