The Blue Jays grabbed the first two games of this four-game series in Anaheim and go for the gravy Saturday night. Lefty Yusei Kikuchi, no stranger to the Angels, gets the call for Toronto here against newcomer Michael Lorenzen for LA.
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MLB Betting Odds
Saturday’s baseball betting lines opened this game at right around a pick ’em, with an over/under of 8.5 runs. The MLB oddsboard has shifted slightly with the Angels favored slightly at the more public books and the Jays small favs at the betting shops that cater to sharper action.
Blue Jays-Angels MLB Betting Preview
Toronto took the opener of this four-game series Thursday night 6-3, then won Friday night’s game 4-3 with a run in the top of the ninth inning. The Blue Jays won as +150 underdogs Thursday against Los Angeles starter Ohtani, then as -120 favorites Friday.
With Friday’s victory, Toronto is 7-3 over its last ten games. At 25-20 overall, the Blue Jays sit in third place in the AL East, 7.5 games behind the first-place Yankees.
With Friday’s loss, the Angels are 3-7 over their last ten games. At 27-20 overall Los Angeles sits in second place in the AL West, 2.5 games behind first-place Houston.
This series is the first meeting between these two teams this season. Last year the Angels took the season series from Toronto four games to three.
Saturday’s Pitching Match-Up
Lorenzen is 5/7 on quality starts this season and two for his last two. Last Saturday, he tossed six innings of three-hit, shutout ball in a 5-3 Los Angeles victory over Oakland. And just before that, held those same A’s to one run through seven frames of a 9-1 Angels win.
LA is 5-2 with Lorenzen this season, which is precisely what it should be.
This will be Lorenzen’s first action against Toronto since 2017, which was a long time ago.
Lefty Kikuchi is 2/8 on quality starts this year, but he’s been pretty good his last few times out. Last Sunday, he allowed two runs and two hits through only 4 1/3 innings of a 3-2 Blue Jays loss to Cincinnati. But over his last four starts, he’s allowed just five runs and nine hits through 21 2/3 innings, with ten walks but also 27 strikeouts.
Toronto is only 2-6 with Kikuchi this season, but that’s a couple of games worse than it should be.
Over two starts last year against the Angels while with Seattle, Kikuchi gave up 11 runs – 10 earned – and 15 hits, including four home runs, through nine innings. His Mariners lost both those games and both games played over their totals.
Splits With the Sticks
Toronto is batting .233 against right-handed pitching this season, with a .297 team OBP and a .390 team slugging percentage. The Blue Jays have also scored 17 runs over their last three games.
Los Angeles is slashing .254/.326/.392 against left-handed pitching. The Angels have also been held to just eight runs over their last three games. Also, big stick Ohtani missed Friday night’s game with a sore back and is listed as questionable for Saturday night.
The Bullpens
The Toronto bullpen owns a 3.82 ERA this season, along with a 1.19 WHIP.
The Los Angeles pen owns a 3.79 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP.
- Get more details: Toronto Blue Jays at LA Angels 5/28/22 Betting Stats
MLB Betting Trends
- The Blue Jays are 11-12 on the road this season and 22-15 against right-handed starters.
- The Angels are 12-9 at home and 8-5 against left-handed starters.
Totals Report
- The Under is 27-17 in Blue Jays games this season.
- The Under is 22-19 in Angels games.
- The Under is 15-8 at Angel Stadium this season.
