Blue Jays odds vs. Tigers July 9: Toronto small favourites in series finale

The Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers play out the rubber match of a three-game series on Sunday.

The latest: With a 12-run and a no-hit effort under its belt in this series, Toronto likely only needs a Goldilocks performance to win the series finale against Detroit. The Tigers will be hoping for a strong effort from one of their best arms and a victory to close it out.

Blue Jays odds vs. Tigers

MLB odds as of 10:19 a.m. ET on 07/09/23.

Blue Jays vs. Tigers preview

Toronto’s offence was relentless on Friday, notching 12 runs in a blowout victory over Detroit. The Blue Jays followed that up with their worst hitting effort of the season, getting no-hit by a combination of Matt Manning (6.2 innings pitched), Jason Foley (1.1 IP) and Alex Lange (1.0 IP) in a 2-0 loss.

The pitching matchup on Sunday pins Chris Bassitt against Tigers starter Tarik Skubal.

Bassitt has some pretty stark home-road splits this season. The righty boasts a 2.41 ERA in eight starts at Rogers Centre this season and a 5.74 ERA in his 10 starts elsewhere. His most recent appearance, a road outing against the Chicago White Sox, was one of his better away efforts. He ceded three runs across six innings of work in a win.

Skubal makes his second start of the season after opening the year on the 60-day injured list due to flexor tendon surgery. His first outing was a strong showing, tossing four innings of no-hit baseball with six strikeouts.

That was against the Oakland Athletics, however, and Toronto should provide a much stiffer challenge.

Skubal did post some impressive numbers before his shutdown last August. He had a 3.52 ERA and 2.96 FIP across 21 starts in 2022.

Blue Jays prop markets

MLB odds as of 10:19 a.m. ET on 07/09/23.

One moment Toronto’s bats are hot, and the next they’re not.

It’s hard to gauge how the Blue Jays will fare against Skubal considering their hitters don’t have much history with the lefty. Only Whit Merrifield (18 at-bats) has more than five at-bats against Skubal, making him a relative unknown for this lineup.

Guerrero Jr. has done some damage, though, in limited at-bats against the Detroit starter. He has a single and a homer in two at-bats versus Skubal.

Bichette has one hit in two at-bats against Skubal but is entering with some impressive numbers. He’s slashing .364/.382/.515 since the start of July with 12 total hits across seven games.

Bassitt isn’t a prolific strikeout pitcher, falling short of six-plus punchouts in five of his last six outings. He could benefit from the Tigers’ affinity to swing and miss, however, as Detroit averages the 10th-most Ks per game (8.94) in the majors.