Toronto Blue Jays vs Cincinnati Reds Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/19/2023

Game Time: 6:40 pm ET, Saturday, August 19, 2023

Venue:  Great American Ball Park, Cincinnati, OH

Where to Watch:  BSOH

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -148, Reds +124; Over/Under:  10 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -140, Reds +120; Over/Under:  10 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -148, Reds +124; Over/Under:  10 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  67-55 (3rd place, AL East)

Cincinnati Reds:  63-59 (3rd place, NL Central)

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Toronto Blue Jays:  5-5 last 10

Cincinnati Reds:  4-6 last 10

The Blue Jays are entering this series off a win and split their 2-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies 1-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 67-55 record overall and have a road record of 35-28. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Reds on Saturday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .744 OPS. José Berríos is their starting pitcher on Friday while Chris Bassitt is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 11-6 with a 3.95 ERA this season. His team lost 3 of their last 4 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 4 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 6 Ks on 4 hits through 6 IP against the Chicago Cubs.

The Reds are entering this series off a win and split their 2-game series against the Cleveland Guardians 1-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 63-59 record overall and have a home record of 30-32. This is the 2nd game of a 3-game series with the Blue Jays on Saturday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Friday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .744 OPS. Brett Kennedy is their starting pitcher on Friday while rookie pitcher Brandon Williamson is making his start in this game on Saturday. He is 4-2 with a 4.33 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 2 BB with 6 strikeouts on 2 hits through 5.2 innings played against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The current betting odds have the Reds listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Reds have been really up and down in their games lately as they are staying afloat in the NL Wild Card race. The Blue Jays have been rolling in their games lately but they have also been a really up and down team all season as they try to hold down their Wild Card spot now. Both of these teams have had really good offenses this season so the edge in this game will come from the pitching staff and even though the Reds have had some really bad pitching this year, they still have the better pitching matchup in this game. The Reds are going with their rookie Williamson but he is coming off a really good start and has been pitching well lately. Meanwhile, the Jays have Bassitt starting in this game who gave up 4 runs in his last start and he has been really up and down as a starter all season since he has had some really good starts and also some where he absolutely imploded. The Reds have a really good offense that will take advantage of the scoring opportunities they get from Bassitt while Williamson has been a lot more consistent lately and will have an easier time trying to shut down this Blue Jays offense that is really up and down from game to game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Reds to win this game.

Blue Jays Reds Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Saturday, August 19, 2023 (6:40 pm ET start time) is Reds 7 Blue Jays 3.

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Toronto Blue Jays: 67-55 (-5.8 units) on the moneyline in all games. 45-40 (-15.4 units) on the moneyline as a favorite of -110 or higher. 32-22 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150. CHRIS BASSITT is 19-8 UNDER as a favorite of -125 to -175.

Cincinnati Reds: 63-59 (+13.5 units) on the moneyline in all games. 18-11 (+9.5 units) on the moneyline in an inter-league game. 18-10 UNDER against AL East opponents. 27-18 UNDER at home when the total is 10 to 10.5.

Toronto Blue Jays:  M. Chapman (3B) Ques Fri - Finger. K. Kiermaier (CF) Prob Fri - Elbow. H. Danner (RP) Out indefinitely - Oblique. T. Richards (RP) Late Aug - Neck. B. Bichette (SS) Prob Sat - Knee. C. Green (RP) Late Aug - Elbow. O. Lopez (2B) out for season - Oblique. A. Cimber (RP) Late Aug - Shoulder.

Cincinnati Reds:  H. Greene (SP) Prob Sun - Hip. B. Lively (RP) Late Aug - Pectoral. J. India (2B) Early Sept - Heel. V. Gutierrez (SP) Late Aug - Elbow. T. Antone (RP) Late Aug - Elbow. C. Casali (C) Late Aug - Foot. J. Fraley (LF) Out indefinitely - Toe. R. Sanmartin (SP) out for season - Elbow. N. Lodolo (SP) Late Aug - Calf. J. Dunn (SP) Mid Sept - Shoulder. C. Overton (SP) out for season - Elbow.

“They were a World Series team last year. If you give them that many chances, they’re going to make you pay for it.” - Kevin Gausman after their loss against the Phillies in their game on Wednesday.

“I asked TJ if he could dunk after that. He said he could if he could palm the ball. He really got up. He’s always looking to make a difference in the game and then his ability takes over, but it all starts with his desire to do something to help us win a game.” - David Bell after his team’s win against the Guardians in their game on Wednesday.

Whit Merrifield (R) LF

Brandon Belt (L) DH

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B

George Springer (R) RF

Cavan Biggio (L) 2B

Alejandro Kirk (R) C

Daulton Varsho (L) CF

Santiago Espinal (R) 3B

Paul DeJong (R) SS

TJ Friedl (L) CF

Matt McLain (R) 2B

Elly De La Cruz (S) SS

Spencer Steer (R) 3B

Joey Votto (L) 1B

Christian Encarnacion-Strand (R) DH

Stuart Fairchild (R) LF

Will Benson (L) RF

Luke Maile (R) C

Batting Average:  Ernie Clement (.500)

Hits:  Bo Bichette (144)

Home Runs:  Vladimir Guerrero (18)

RBI:  Vladimir Guerrero (72)

Stolen Bases:  Whit Merrifield (22)

Wins:  Chris Bassitt (11)

Saves:  Jordan Romano (29)

ERA:  Genesis Cabrera (0.00)

Batting Average:  Matt McLain (.298)

Hits:  Spencer Steer (117)

Home Runs:  Spencer Steer (18)

RBI:  Spencer Steer (66)

Stolen Bases:  TJ Friedl (23)

Wins:  Ian Gibaut (8)

Saves:  Alexis Diaz (33)

ERA:  Ricky Karcher (0.00)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (2nd season)

Cincinnati Reds: David Bell (5th season)