Blue Jays vs. Tigers prediction and odds for Friday, July 7th

The Detroit Tigers season is heading towards another missed postseason, but the team has been far more competitive than expected, promising signs of a long rebuild.

The Tigers are at home to start the final series before the All-Star break against the Toronto Blue Jays, who recalled Alek Manoah from the rookie level-Florida Complex League on Friday night. Manoah had a serious setback after being a finalist for AL Cy Young last season, posting a 6.36 ERA before being sent down last month.

Can Manoah get on track, or will Detroit show some life at the plate and get off to a hot start in the series opener?

Here are the odds and our best bet:

Manoah was a disaster to start the season as his velocity dipped and he lost command of the strike zone, walking nearly as many batters as he was punching out. Even though the Tigers have a sub-.400 winning percentage since the beginning of June, the offense is about league average. Over the last 30 days, Detroit is 16th in batting average.

Even though the Blue Jays bolster more proven talent in the lineup, the team is hitting decimal points lower than the Tigers in that 30 day time span (.248 vs. .246). Further, I can't trust Manoah as a road favorite against any team in the big leagues given the last time we saw him.

It's possible that the right hander figured out some of his mechanical issues and can bounce back after a putrid start to the year, but he's undeserving of being a road favorite until proven otherwise.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.