The Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Angels kick-off a three-game weekend series at Angel Stadium this Friday night in a battle between two second-place teams trying to close the gap in their respective divisions. The first pitch is set for 10:05 p.m. (ET) and the game will be available on MLB Extra Innings. Jays versus Angels Game Overview The Blue Jays remain in hot pursuit of New York in the AL East and at 66-55 they are two games off the pace heading into a day off on Thursday. Wednesday’s stunning 7-4 loss to Philadelphia as -245 road favorites was just their third setback in their last 16 games. The loss dropped Toronto to 26-32 on the road this season. There is no doubt that Toronto has the most formidable lineup in the Majors with an average of 5.2 runs a game. Josh Donaldson has led the way with a team-high 91 RBI and 33 home runs. The Blue Jays have also been getting a solid effort from their pitching staff during this recent run and it is now ranked seventh in the AL with a team ERA 3.80. David Price joined Toronto in a recent trade with Detroit and he will be making his fourth start for his new team on Friday night. Through his first three outings, the left-hander has allowed a total of four earned runs. His ERA on the year is now 2.41 with a 1.09 WHIP. The Angels have won the first three games of a four-game home series against the Chicago White Sox this week following a dismal 1-6 run in a recent seven-game road trip against the White Sox and Kansas City. They are 2.5 games in back of Houston in the AL West with an overall record of 63-57. Los Angeles is 39-23 at home this season. This lineup is well down the list in the AL when it comes to scoring with an average of 4.1 runs a game and so far in this week’s series against Chicago it has knocked-in a total of eight runs while allowing just four. The Angels’ pitching staff is ranked fifth in the AL with a 3.64 ERA and they will turn to Hector Santiago as their starter in this series opener. The left-hander is 7-6 on the year through 23 previous starts. He is boasting a 2.86 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP; however Santiago has been tagged for a total of 16 earned runs over his last five starts with Los Angeles going just 1-4 over that same span. Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels Betting Trends The Blue Jays are 5-1 in Game 1 of their last six series and they are 4-1 in their last five games on the road. The total has stayed UNDER in their last six games against a team with a winning record. The Angels are 5-1 in their last six games against the AL East and they have won Game 1 in four of their last five series. The total has stayed UNDER in 17 of their last 26 home games. Toronto is just 2-7 in their last nine road games against Los Angeles and the total has gone OVER in 15 of the last 22 games. Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels Prediction Los Angeles has been a tough team to beat at home while Toronto has been no bargain to bet on when its plays on the road, but I really like the Blue Jays in this matchup. Price should be able to keep the Angels in check and I see the Blue Jays piling up some runs on Santiago so I am going with the +120 price on the run line with Toronto -1.5.
Bet on Starting Pitcher Value With MLB Five-Inning Lines
Similar to betting the first half of an NFL football game, an MLB five-inning line covers the first half of action in a baseball game. Since baseball betting lines, in general, are heavily weighted on each team's starting pitcher, their impact on the game's outcome...
