The Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians meet Friday in MLB action at Progressive Field.
The Toronto Blue Jays need a win after losing seven of their last nine games. The Blue Jays have scored 11 runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five of their last eight games. The Blue Jays have split their last eight games when scoring four or more runs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the Blue Jays with 59 hits and 41 RBI while Marcus Semien and Bo Bichette have combined for 112 hits and 62 RBI. Hyun Jin Ryu gets the ball, and he is 4-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 52 strikeouts this season. This will be Ryu’s second career game against the Indians.
The Cleveland Indians look for a win after winning six of their last nine games. The Indians have scored nine runs in their last three games and four or more runs in five of their last six games. The Indians have won five of their last six games when scoring four or more runs. Jose Ramirez leads the Indians with 44 hits and 26 RBI while Eddie Rosario and Cesar Hernandez have combined for 80 hits and 42 RBI. Eli Morgan will make his major league debut when he takes the mound tonight. Morgan was 21-16 with a 3.11 ERA and 373 strikeouts in his minor league career.
The Blue Jays are 3-8 in their last 11 Friday games and 2-6 in their last 8 overall. The Indians are 6-1 in their last 7 games as an underdog and 1-5 in their last 6 Friday games. The under is 4-1 in Blue Jays last 5 road games. The over is 7-3-1 in Indians last 11 home games. The Blue Jays are 3-13 in the last 16 meetings in Cleveland and 1-6 in the last 7 meetings.
The Toronto Blue Jays are due for a breakout performance given the losing stretch they’re riding right now, and they should like their chances with Hyun Jin Ryu on the mound. The Cleveland Indians are playing the better ball now and are worth a strong look in the underdog role, but I have a hard time backing a pitcher making his big league debut. There’s nothing to go off of. The Blue Jays have the starting pitching edge. I’ll back them.