The Oakland Athletics are heading north to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the first of a three-game series on Friday. Oakland is coming off the game Thursday at Cleveland, in which they lost their 8th straight. Oakland is now 19-58, the worst record in all of Major League Baseball. For the Blue Jays, they are coming off back-to-back wins in Miami.
The Blue Jays are now 41-35 on the season, but that’s fourth in the American League East. The Blue Jays are big favorites in this game. You can grab Toronto at -290 or get them at -1.5 for -137. The total in this game is listed at 9.5.
Oakland’s Historically Bad Start to 2023
Oakland simply cannot piece things together to win games. Despite scoring 6 on Wednesday, they lost that one. Over their last 8 games, the Athletics have scored just 20 runs. Oakland is dead last in Major League Baseball in runs scored and also in batting average. The pitching side is just as bad, as they are also dead last in runs allowed, as they are giving up nearly 6.3 per game.
James Kaprielian will throw for the Oakland Athletics in this game. He is 2-6 on the season, with a 6.38 earned run average. In 55 innings, Kaprielian has struck out 49 batters and walked 29. In his last outing, the 29-year-old was fairly sharp at home against the Phillies. In that June 17th start, he allowed just 5 hits in 5.1 innings, surrendering just a single run.
Blue Jays Looking to Get Healthy
The saying “get healthy” does not always mean getting players to start feeling better. Getting healthy, in this case, is getting on a winning track and getting guys going on offense. That’s what Toronto will try to do with Oakland in town. The Blue Jays are looking to extend their two-game winning streak.
Many expected Toronto to have one of the best offenses in all of Major League Baseball. So far, that has not been the case, with just 4.4 runs per game. The team is batting .262 on the season, which is 6th in all of baseball. The Blue Jays 84 home runs is in the middle of the pack so far this season. Bo Bichette leads Toronto in home runs with 14, while Dalton Varsho has 12 on the season.
Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Toronto Blue Jays. His last start was not good, as he lasted just 8 outs in a loss to the Texas Rangers. That June 18th start, the 34-year-old allowed 7 hits and 5 runs. Over his last two starts, Bassitt has allowed 18 hits and 11 earned runs over just 6.2 innings.
Toronto Wins Big
Look for Toronto to stay on track and keep Oakland reeling. In fact, this could be a tough series for Oakland. The Blue Jays’ bats are ready to catch fire, and they have enough pitching to keep opponents at bay. This is not going to be close. The Blue Jays win by several tuns. Take Toronto -1.5 for -137 on Friday.
