Max Scherzer vs. Clayton Kershaw under the bright lights of Hollywood. August matchups don’t get much more exciting than this!
The Blue Jays, 68-48, have surged to first place in the AL East. Toronto will face perhaps its toughest test of the season tonight when they travel to Los Angeles. Despite a rocky month of July, the Dodgers (66-49) remain the odds-on World Series favorites. Can the defending champs take care of business against one of the American League’s best clubs? Below, I’ve laid out my preview, prediction, and best bet for Friday’s showdown between the Blue Jays and Dodgers.
The Dodgers are favorites (-137) over the Blue Jays, with the over/under set at nine runs. Let’s break down which side has the edge on DraftKings Sportsbook entering tonight’s contest.
Blue Jays vs. Dodgers prediction, preview
The headline tonight is, of course, two future Hall of Famers on the mound. However, a pitching duel might not be in the cards on Friday. That’s due to the immense firepower on both of these lineups. The Blue Jays enter this contest having scored the fifth-most runs per game in baseball (4.97). Unlike many other elite offenses, Canada’s team doesn’t do most of their damage via the homer. Instead, Toronto leads the league with 1,075 total hits this season. Seven different Jays hitters with at least 200 plate appearances have recorded a wRC+ of 100 or greater.
Navigating this dangerous Toronto offense will be quite the challenge for Kershaw tonight. Granted, the southpaw has enjoyed another solid campaign. Through 65.2 innings of work, the former MVP has notched a 3.29 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 42 strikeouts. Still, career-worst marks in K% (15.4%) and hard hit rate (45.0%) aren’t great signs for the 37-year-old. A potentially dangerous matchup in this one is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. The first baseman has posted a .333 batting average, four homers and eight RBIs over his last ten games. This season, the slugger has a .935 OPS against left-handed pitching.
For the visitors, Scherzer will take the mound for his ninth start of the season. So far, it’s been a mixed bag for the veteran. A 4.39 ERA doesn’t inspire much confidence, but his xERA on Savant is a far more palatable 3.66. We all know this Dodgers lineup is loaded. Just read off the names: Shohei Ohtani, Will Smith, Freddie Freeman…the list goes on. However, Los Angeles has had some difficulty on offense lately. Since July 1st, the defending champs have posted the league’s third-lowest OPS (.684) against right-handed pitching. Scherzer has allowed three runs or less in four of his last five appearances. A similar effort tonight would put the Blue Jays in prime position for a victory.
Blue Jays vs. Dodgers pick, best bet
Best Bet: Blue Jays ML (+113)
In this battle between two heavyweights, the difference will come down to which starter limits the damage. The Dodgers, as previously mentioned, have struggled hitting against righties. In comparison, Toronto has put up the league’s sixth-best OPS against left-handers (.757). As long as Scherzer doesn’t implode, the Blue Jays offer nice value at plus money tonight.
