On Thursday afternoon, the Toronto Blue Jays once again host the Arizona Diamondbacks to close out a three-game series. Toronto claimed a 5-4 victory in the first outing and followed it up with another one in an 8-1 blowout, so the Snakes look to stave off a sweep in this one.
Here’s a Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks prediction, preview
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays tallied their 40th win of the campaign last night and they continue playing well through mid-June. The team holds a 24-13 record at home this year, so there’s a bit of an advantage playing at Rogers Centre to begin with, even without taking the last two games against the Diamondbacks in hand.
The Blue Jays rank 11th in OPS and 16th in runs this year with an offense with plenty of upside. For evidence, look at how they just hung eight runs on the Diamondbacks last night with 13 hits as Bo Bichette, Addison Barger, Vladimir Guerrerro Jr. and Ernie Clement all logged multi-hit outings. Their pitching staff leaves a bit to be desired at 21st in ERA and 14th in WHIP, but they do have the sixth-most strikeouts in the MLB.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are another team which remains feisty, but injuries have derailed plans to truly compete for a World Series. Arizona lost ace Corbin Burnes and closer Justin Martinez to injuries requiring Tommy John surgery, so they’re in a tough spot here at 36-37.
The pitching staff ranks 25th in ERA, 22nd in WHIP, and 25th in runs allowed, so weathering those injuries will certainly prove difficult. On the other hand, the Diamondbacks maintain a quality offense which sits top-four in both OPS and runs scored this season. They can hang in there against pretty much anyone, and last night’s six-hit affair probably should have yielded a greater scoring output. Josh Naylor, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Corbin Carroll and Randal Grichuk all tallied hits yesterday, though Ketel Marte going hitless feels like a bit of rarity. That likely won’t happen again.
Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks pick, best bet
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Blue Jays as -144 favorites to win on the Moneyline, while the Diamondbacks are +118 to pull off the upset. The run total sits at 8.5.
The Blue Jays start Kevin Gausman on Thursday. The experiences righty has a 4.08 ERA and 1.07 WHIP on the season with 80 strikeouts in 81.2 innings. Opposite him will be Ryne Nelson, another right-hander with fairly similar numbers. On the season, Nelson has thrown 50.0 innings with a 4.14 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and 41 strikeouts.
I do think the Blue Jays come out on top to complete the sweep in this one. While these two lineups are fairly close in terms of talent, Toronto has a much better situation where the bullpen is concerned and I think their offense will get the better of the Diamondbacks’ pen once Nelson exits the game. The value here won’t excite most bettors at -144, but we’re chasing wins over a massive payday here. Expect the Jays to complete the sweep here.
Best bet: TOR Blue Jays ML (-144)
Click the odds on this bet to tail!
