You know what’s better that a 15-game MLB slate? A 16-game slate.
That’s exactly what we’re staring down today, as the Orioles and the Red Sox will take part in a doubleheader at Fenway Park. It’s also Friday, guys. Like, could this day get any more amazing?
It could. Let’s win some bets.
Toronto Blue Jays at Tampa Bay Rays
Blue Jays ML (+120)
Ask any Blue Jays fan which stadium they fear the most and they’ll tell you it’s Tropicana Field. So, in a way, it’s sort of refreshing for the team to travel south to Florida with George M. Steinbrenner Field as the destination.
Toronto is playing its best baseball of the season at the moment, having swept the Padres earlier this week and winning eight of its last 12 games overall. The secret to the recent success hasn’t been so secret, either. The Blue Jays are finally hitting the ball with some power. After finishing April with the second-lowest ISO in the sport (.110), Toronto’s lineup has been completely different so far in May, thanks primarily to the additions of Daulton Varsho and Addison Barger. Heck, Varsho only has 71 plate appearances in 2025 due to offseason shoulder surgery, yet the Gold Glove outfielder already leads the team in home runs (7). In the month, the Jays are slashing .271/.338/.440 with the third-highest wRC+ in MLB (121).
Eric Lauer is another reason to back Toronto as a road dog this evening. Well, at least the fact that he’s left-handed is. Don’t get me wrong, Lauer’s been quite good in his limited appearances for the Jays, maintaining a 2.25 ERA and a 2.81 xERA across 12.0 innings, but this is far more about the Rays’ struggles with southpaws. In 2025, Tampa is batting .205 with a .095 ISO and a 71 wRC+ within the split. The left-handed side of Kevin Cash’s platoons have simply been more effective this season.
Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Mets
Mets ML (-108)
The vibes around the Mets at the moment are not nearly as good as they were two weeks ago, yet I’ll still jump at the opportunity to back this squad as a home dog — even if it is against the Dodgers.
The following is a wild statement that I never thought I’d make, but at the moment, I simply trust Griffin Canning more than Clayton Kershaw. Now, that obviously comes with many caveats. First and foremost, Kershaw is now 37-years-old and he’s made only eight starts since the beginning of 2024. Still, it’s not like those outings have gone all that well for the future Hall of Fame lefty. Kershaw pitched to a 4.59 xERA across 30.0 innings last season. Then, in his 2025 debut last Saturday, Kershaw surrendered five hits, three walks and five earned runs to the Angels. Also, eight of the 15 batted ball events that Kershaw induced had an exit velocity above 95 mph. Not ideal, especially with the Mets owning a 110 wRC+ off LHPs. Another rough day could be on the horizon.
Conversely, Canning has been a stud since coming to New York. The former second-round pick has started throwing his slider more than ever before and the results have been fantastic, with Canning in possession of a 2.47 ERA in his 47.1 innings of work. Granted, a 91.3% strand rate will not sustain, which is why most of Canning’s ERA estimators are hovering in the 3.80 range, yet the right-hander has allowed a single earned run or fewer in five of his last six outings. Any way you slice it, that’s good.
