The Blue Jays are slight money line favorites in the matchup, which is not a very enticing pitching matchup on either side. The hosts will throw right-hander Ross Stripling against the Angels right-hander Griffin Canning.
Blue Jays Bullpen is Lights Out
After beginning the season with a series win at Yankee Stadium, the Jays dropped two-of-three in Texas. They played a day game against the Rangers on Wednesday as ace Hyun-Jin Ryu struck out seven over seven innings but took a 2-1 loss. Toronto’s bats produced nine hits, but they were 0-for-4 with a runner in scoring position and left eight on base.
Stripling is in the rotation while Robbie Ray is on the IL, and his first start of the season against the Yankees was a rough one on Saturday. He allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks over just 3 ⅓ innings while taking the loss. Angels superstar Mike Trout is batting .714 lifetime against Stripling with two homers, while Dexter Fowler has also taken him deep.
The hitting has started slow for the Blue Jays with 20 runs scored in six games. Marcus Semien has three homers, and Bo Bichette has two, with four others having one each. Only Randal Grichuk (.400) and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.316) are batting over .250 for those with at least 10 at-bats.
With Kirby Yates out for the season, Julian Merryweather has stepped in as the closer with five strikeouts and two saves in two perfect innings of work. Tim Mayza, David Phelps, Joel Payamps, T.J. Zeuch. Tyler Chatwood, Jordan Romano, and Ryan Borucki also have 0.00 ERAs out of the bullpen. Toronto has allowed just two earned runs in 20 innings out of the bullpen.
Angels Off to a Good Start
The Angels split a two-game home series with the Houston Astros before having an off-day Wednesday to travel from California to Florida. They opened the season by winning three-of-four at home against the Chicago White Sox. This road trip includes four against the Blue Jays in Florida and three at Kansas City.
Griffin Canning warmed up in the bullpen on Sunday, but this will be his first start and outing of the season. Last year he started 11 times and posted a 3.99 ERA with a 2-3 record. On the Blue Jays roster, only Semien has more than two career at-bats against Canning as the former Oakland A’s shortstop is 4-for-16 with a homer against the Angels hurler.
The Angels have nine home runs in six games, led by Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh, and Trout with two each. Walsh leads the team with seven RBI, three coming on his Sunday night walk-off home run against the White Sox. Walsh is batting .412 in five games while Trout is batting .368 in six contests.
The Angels bullpen has been hit or miss so far this season. Junior Guerra, Tony Watson, Chris Rodriguez. Aaron Slegers and Mike Mayers have combined for a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings, and Mayers has a save. However, Raisel Iglesias, Steve Cishek, and Alex Claudio have a combined 8.25 ERA in their eight innings, and Iglesias has a blown save.
Betting Analysis
This could be a breakout game for the Blue Jays offense, in a stadium they know well, and against a pitcher with limited experience. However, their own starter has had very little success against the Angels hitters and struggled in his season debut. The bullpen advantage is heavily in Toronto’s favor and could be the difference Thursday night.
FREE PICK: Blue Jays
Keep up with your latest MLB news coverage and betting pick previews at NJ SportsBook.