Cleveland Indians (52-51) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (54-49)
August 4, 2021 7:07 pm EDT
The Line: Toronto Blue Jays -210 / Cleveland Indians +190; Over/Under: +10
(Get latest betting odds)
The Cleveland Indians and the Toronto Blue Jays meet Wednesday in MLB action from Rogers Centre. This will be the third installment in a four-game set between these teams this week. The Indians managed a three-run win Monday, then in the Tuesday game the Jays evened it up with a four-run victory of their own. Check back all season long for free MLB picks at Sports Chat Place.
Cleveland notched three hits in the 10th inning on Monday to complete a 5-2 win and strike first in the series. In the Tuesday game, the Indians gave up three runs in the first inning and never recovered in a 7-2 defeat. Zach Plesac had 5.0 frames with 10 hits and six earned runs.
For the Wednesday starting pitcher job, the Indians will send out JC Mejia. In his 13 games (10 starts) this year, Mejia has a 1-6 record with a 7.60 ERA and 43 Ks in 45.0 innings of work.
Over on the Blue Jays’ side, they were able to tie the Monday game in the sixth but fell victim to just six hits and two errors in the loss. On Tuesday, Toronto collected 12 team hits during the victory. Hyun-jin Ryu went 7.0 innings with seven hits and two earned runs.
For the Wednesday game, the Blue Jays will send Steven Matz to the hill. Across 90.1 innings this year Matz has 100 hits, 49 runs (46 earned), 13 homers allowed, 25 walks, 91 Ks and a 4.58 ERA.
The Indians are 3-9 in the last 12 on the road with a total of 9.0-10.5 and 7-16 in their last 23 versus a team with a winning record. The over is 23-6-2 in the Indians’ last 31 versus a lefty starter and 6-2 in their last eight Wednesday games.
Meanwhile, the Jays are 5-16 in their last 21 at home versus a team with a winning record and 19-40 in their last 59 with a total of 11.0 or higher. The under is 6-1 in the Jays’ last seven in game three of a series and 10-2-1 in their last 13 with a total of 7.0-8.5.
PICK: I’m going to stick with the Jays, so long as Matz can post a bounce-back start here. Matz put up four earned on nine hits and a walk in 3.1 innings his last time up versus the Red Sox, but he’d had a couple solid starts prior to that. As for Mejia, he’s given up 13 earned runs over his last three starts and is 0-2 in that stretch. This one should be Toronto’s to take, and it could very well turn into a high-scoring game.
