Published Jun 15, 8:50pm ET by
Paul Lebowitz - Betting Preview Analyst and Sports Writer
Last updated Jun 15, 8:50pm ET
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Updated Jun 15, 8:50pm ET
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| Boston Red Sox | -101 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | -109 |
The Blue Jays are still playing inconsistently and are 4 games under .500. They just lost 2 of 3 at home to the Yankees.
To try and get on a run, they start ace Dylan Cease against the Red Sox in Boston.
Cease made his return against the Phillies after missing two weeks with a strained hamstring. He was excellent, tossing 6 innings, allowing 3 hits, and allowing 1 earned run. He walked 1 and K'd 11.
For the season, Cease has a 2.1 bWAR and a 2.91 ERA. In 68 innings, he's allowed 52 hits and 22 earned runs, walking 27 and an AL-leading 103 strikeouts.
The Blue Jays' problem this season has been their offense. On a positive note, Brandon Valenzuela did a fine job standing in for the injured Alejandro Kirk. He has a .254 batting average and a .792 OPS with 7 homers. Kirk recently returned and in his first game against the Yankees, he was 3 for 3 with a double.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. only has 3 homers and a .737 OPS. Ernie Clement has a 1.5 bWAR with an AL-leading 20 doubles, and a .784 OPS. Kazuma Okamoto has 15 homers.
Against BoSox starter Payton Tolle, Okamoto is 1 for 2 with a single. Andres Gimenez is 1 for 2 with a single. Guerrero is 1 for 2 with a double.
Big lefty Payton Tolle has been a pleasant surprise for the Red Sox and throughout MLB. In 9 starts, he has a 1.0 bWAR, and a 2.70 ERA. He's allowed 42 hits and 16 earned runs in 53.1 innings, issuing 14 walks and 54 K's. He did struggle in his last start against the Rays, allowing 9 hits and 4 earned runs in 6 innings, taking the loss.
Boston is 11 games below .500 and needs to get its act together if a playoff spot is in the future. They're reaching the point in the season where they need to decide whether to be sellers at the trade deadline.
Willson Contreras has been their best hitter with a 2.8 bWAR and a .965 OPS. He has 16 homers. Their offense has otherwise been generally atrocious. Caleb Durbin's average has dropped to .194. Jarren Duran is at .211. Carlos Narvaez has a .576 OPS.
For the BoSox against Cease, Contreras is 4 for 14 with a double and a home run. Wilyer Abreu is 2 for 4 with a double. Durbin is 1 for 4 with a single. Isiah Kiner-Falefa is 4 for 7 with a double. Marcelo Mayer is 2 for 2 with 2 singles. Masataka Yoshida is 3 for 5 with a double.
The Red Sox are in constant disarray and don't seem to have a plan. Tolle has been very good and the Blue Jays have not hit. But Cease was masterful in his first start back after missing a brief time with a hamstring strain.
This shapes up to be a tough pitching matchup and will come down to which team can put runs across the board against the other. Toronto should take this one behind Cease.
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Toronto Blue Jays -109
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