The Toronto Blue Jays will take on the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of a three-game series at home on Friday (September 30) night. The Blue Jays lead the season series 13-3.
The Red Sox enter this series after defeating the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 in a four-game series at home, which took their overall record to 75-81 this season. They have already been eliminated from their division and couldn't book a playoff berth this time around. They will look to keep the positive momentum with them as they seek to get some wins in this series against the Blue Jays.
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The Blue Jays lost to the New York Yankees 2-1 at home in their last series, taking their record to 87-69. They have just booked a playoff berth and will now look to extend their lead at the top of the Wildcard division in the American League. Both Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Santiago Espinal are on the injury list, but Gurriel Jr. is expected to make his comeback tonight, which will further intensify their hitting prowess.
The Blue Jays will start their ace pitcher, Alek Manoah, on the mound. He is 15-7 this season, with a 2.31 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP, and 176 Ks. This will be his 31st start of the season and the fourth against the Red Sox. He is 2-0 against the Red Sox, giving up four runs on 16 hits and striking out 20 hitters in 20.0 IP. He will look to replicate his previous outings against the Red Sox tonight.
The Red Sox will start Nick Pivetta on the hill tonight. He is 10-11 this season, with 168 Ks and a 1.36 WHIP. This will be his 32nd start of the season and the fourth against the Blue Jays. He is 0-1 this season against the Blue Jays, giving up nine runs on 15 hits in 14.2 IP. He has been struggling on the mound lately but will look to give an aggressive performance tonight.
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Match Details: Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays
Fixture: Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays
Date and time: Friday, September 30 at 7:07 PM ET.
Venue: Rogers Center, Toronto, Ontario.
Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays Betting Odds
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Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays: Best Picks
The Blue Jays have been pretty good against RHP this season. Having faced Nick thrice before, they can predict his gameplan and will look to attack him early on in the game. They have an OBP of 0.326, a slugging percentage of 0.427, and an OPS of 0.753 against RHP this season.
Pick: Blue Jays first five innings over 2.5 runs (-105)
Boston Red Sox vs. Toronto Blue Jays Prediction
The Blue Jays have managed to cover the spread in most of their games this season, especially at home. Having already been knocked out of the season, the Red Sox might have their troubles haunting them once more as they play the Blue Jays in Toronto. Expect the Blue Jays to cover the spread tonight.