MLB Odds: Blue Jays vs. Royals prediction, odds, pick
MLB odds series for our Blue Jays Royals prediction and pick.
Ross Stripling gets the start for the Blue Jays, while Daniel Lynch takes the bump for the Royals.
Ross Stripling is one of the quietly good pitchers no one is talking about in baseball this year. He doesn’t get any headlines because he has often been used as a reliever. Yet, with Hyun-Jin Ryu being injured multiple times this season, Stripling has had to make spot starts for Toronto. He used to start with the Dodgers, so he has experience being a back-end-of-the-rotation starter as well as a middle reliever. Stripling has done a really good job of holding the Toronto pitching staff together in 2022. He got a save against the Angels in late May when Jordan Romano had arm fatigue. He has given the Jays a number of solid, unspectacular four- and five-inning outings with few runs allowed, helping the rotation to avoid a collapse with Ryu on the shelf. Stripling has given up a total of 16 runs in 12 appearances this season, balanced between five starts and seven relief outings. He has had only two bad starts: four runs allowed in four innings against Cleveland on May 7, and three runs allowed in four innings against the Astros on April 22. He has been a better pitcher than his 4.22 ERA might suggest.
Daniel Lynch has a 4.81 ERA. He has been all over the place this season: sometimes great, sometimes terrible, sometimes average. Lynch has started nine games. In three of them, he allowed four runs or more. In three of them, he has allowed two or three runs. In three other starts, he didn’t allow a single run. Which version of Lynch will show up here? That is a central question you need to answer when making a Blue Jays Royals pick based on the current MLB odds.
MLB Odds: Blue Jays-Royals Odds
Toronto Blue Jays: -1.5 (-118)
Kansas City Royals: +1.5 (-102)
Over: 10 (-105)
Under: 10 (-115)
Why The Blue Jays Could Cover the Spread
Stripling gives the Jays a decent starter who won’t dominate, but will limit damage done by the opposition. Given that the Blue Jays struggled over the weekend by giving up first-inning runs in each of the three games in the series, getting a stabilizing start from Stripling should put them in good position to win in Kansas City.
The Jays’ offense, which was mired in a big slump in May, has come out of that downward spiral. The Jays are generally mashing the ball. They didn’t win their weekend series against the Twins only because their pitching had a letdown. Going against Daniel Lynch, an inconsistent pitcher, should give them a matchup they can feast on.
Why The Royals Could Cover the Spread
After nearly winning a series from the defending American League champion Houston Astros over the weekend, this team should be filled with confidence. In Sunday’s rubber game against the Astros, the Royals were down only one run in the eighth (4-3) with runners on base before Houston shut down that threat and pulled away in the ninth. Kansas City is competing hard in every game, and the Royals played over the weekend like a team which is not an easy out for opponents. If Ross Stripling is not on top of his game, the Royals can strike early and get Toronto in a hole. The Jays just stumbled against the short-handed Minnesota Twins (no Carlos Correa, no Max Kepler), losing two of three to Minnesota at home over the weekend. Kansas City can certainly outfox the Jays here.
Final Blue Jays-Royals Prediction & Pick
If Ross Stripling avoids the big inning and limits the Royals to two runs in the first five innings of this game, the Jays should win. If he doesn’t, the Royals will be in good shape. This is a good stay-away game, but if you insist on betting, lean to Toronto.
Final Blue Jays-Royals Prediction & Pick: Blue Jays -1.5
