Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Guardians Prediction, Preview and Odds - 08/08/2023

Game Time: 7:10 pm ET, Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Venue:  Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH

Where to Watch:  BSGL

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +102, Guardians -122; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +102, Guardians -122; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +102, Guardians -122; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  63-50 (3rd place, AL East)

Cleveland Guardians:  54-58 (2nd place, AL Central)

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Toronto Blue Jays:  6-4 last 10

Cleveland Guardians:  3-7 last 10

The Blue Jays are entering this series on a 3 game winning streak and completed the sweep 3-0 in their 3-game series against the Boston Red Sox in their last series. They enter this game with a 63-50 record overall and have a road record of 33-26. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Guardians on Tuesday with the series opener of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 9th in the MLB with a .753 OPS. Hyun Jin Ryu is their starting pitcher on Monday while Yusei Kikuchi is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 9-3 with a 3.67 ERA this season. His team won their last 2 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 3 Ks on 6 hits through 6 IP against the Baltimore Orioles.

The Guardians are entering this game on a 2 game losing streak and lost their 3-game series against the Chicago White Sox 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 54-58 record overall and have a home record of 29-26. This is the 2nd game of a 4-game series with the Blue Jays on Tuesday with the 1st game of this series still to be played on Monday. Their offense ranks 25th in the MLB with a .696 OPS. Rookie pitcher Gavin Williams is their starting pitcher on Monday while rookie pitcher Tanner Bibee is making his start in this game on Tuesday. He is 7-2 with a 3.14 ERA this season. His team won 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 2 earned runs, 1 homer, and 4 BB with 4 strikeouts on 7 hits through 5 innings played against the Houston Astros.

The current betting odds have the Blue Jays listed as a slight underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Blue Jays have been rolling once again lately as they swept the Red Sox over the weekend and their offense has come alive once again. The Guardians have been going in the opposite direction lately as they haven't been playing that well and the Twins are now pulling away in 1st place of the AL Central. The Guardians haven't had a strong offense all season either so they won't be able to compete with the Blue Jays here the way they have been hitting the ball lately. Bibee is on the mound for the Guardians and he has been really good all season, but without that much run support he is going to have a lot of pressure on his shoulders to shut down this Blue Jays lineup and they have been hot right now. The Blue Jays also have Kikuchi on the mound here and he has been pitching really well for them all year, not giving up many runs in his starts lately either. Kikuchi will have no problem shutting down the Guardians cold offense in this game while the Blue Jays do enough with their offense to win this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Blue Jays to win this game.

Blue Jays Guardians Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Tuesday, August 8, 2023 (7:10 pm ET start time) is Blue Jays 5 Guardians 1.

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Toronto Blue Jays: 19-11 (+10.7 units) on the moneyline as an underdog of +100 to +150. 27-14 (+12.6 units) on the moneyline on the road when the total is 8.5 to 10. 28-19 UNDER when the money line is +125 to -125. 15-7 UNDER against AL Central opponents.

Cleveland Guardians: 54-58 (-14.2 units) on the moneyline in all games. 23-34 (-16 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8.5 to 10. 35-19 UNDER in home games. 25-11 UNDER as a home favorite of -110 or higher.

Toronto Blue Jays:  K. Kiermaier (CF) Ques Mon - Elbow. D. Jansen (C) Ques Mon - Wrist. T. Richards (RP) Out indefinitely - Neck. B. Bichette (SS) Mid Aug - Knee. J. Romano (RP) Mid Aug - Back. O. Lopez (2B) out for season - Oblique. C. Green (RP) Mid Aug - Elbow. A. Cimber (RP) Late Aug - Shoulder.

Cleveland Guardians:  J. Ramirez (3B) Ques Mon - Poss. Suspension. J. Naylor (1B) Late Sept - Oblique. T. Freeman (3B) Out indefinitely - Shoulder. S. Bieber (SP) Mid Sept - Elbow. T. McKenzie (SP) Mid Sept - Elbow. C. Quantrill (SP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

“This is playing in sync. Everything kind of fell into place. This is a good team. I know our record was 0-7 coming in. You catch teams at different times, when you’re really rolling and you’re really not.” - John Schneider after his team’s win against the Red Sox in their game on Sunday.

“Both of those balls had to be caught. Both of those win the game and Rocchio made two really good plays and they’ve got to be finished. So that’s on me. I was asked before the inning if they wanted me to take me out and I said, ‘No.’ So that was my call to go back out there for the ninth inning.” - Kole Calhoun after their loss against the White Sox in their game on Sunday.

Whit Merrifield (R) LF

Brandon Belt (L) 1B

Davis Schneider (R) 2B

George Springer (R) DH

Matt Chapman (R) 3B

Cavan Biggio (L) RF

Alejandro Kirk (R) C

Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF

Paul DeJong (R) SS

Steven Kwan (L) LF

Andres Gimenez (L) 2B

Jose Ramirez (S) DH

Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF

Kole Calhoun (L) 1B

Gabriel Arias (R) SS

Brayan Rocchio (S) 3B

Myles Straw (R) CF

Cam Gallagher (R) C

Batting Average:  Davis Schneider (.692)

Hits:  Bo Bichette (144)

Home Runs:  Vladimir Guerrero (18)

RBI:  Vladimir Guerrero (69)

Stolen Bases:  Whit Merrifield (21)

Wins:  Chris Bassitt (11)

Saves:  Jordan Romano (28)

ERA:  Jay Jackson (0.50)

Batting Average:  Josh Naylor (.306)

Hits:  Steven Kwan (122)

Home Runs:  Jose Ramirez (18)

RBI:  Josh Naylor (79)

Stolen Bases:  Andres Gimenez (18)

Wins:  Tanner Bibee (7)

Saves:  Emmanuel Clase (29)

ERA:  Konnor Pilkington (0.00)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (2nd season)

Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona (11th season)