Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays Betting Preview/Prop Picks
28 July 2022
The 40-59 Detroit Tigers head out to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays today. After a 4-3 win over the Padres, morale in Detroit must be pretty high.
Still, even after a win, the Tigers can't let their emotions get the best of them here. The team has won only two of their last five games this season. Taking on the Toronto Blue Jays and winning will not be an easy thing to do.
The Toronto Blue Jays have a record of 54-44 and rank second in the AL East. At this point, it's very unlikely that the Blue Jays can catch up to the Yankees. Still, they can protect their second place position by winning games such as this one.
Up until yesterday's loss, the Blue Jays had won seven games in a row. Let's see if they can start the winning streak all over again tonight.
Detroit Tigers: Prowess at the plate will do them good tonight
As a team, the Detroit Tigers aren't very good, which is evident from their 40-59 record. However, when they can perform at the plate, we've seen them pull off impressive wins.
This season, the Tigers rank 27th overall in batting average at .229. In on-base percentage, they rank 29th overall at .289. Even with these awful statistics, the Tigers were able to beat the Padres twice.
Taking that into consideration, the Tigers need to be good at the plate to win tonight. Yesterday, the Tigers put up four runs over the Padres. Tonight, they'll likely need to add a few runs to that to beat the Blue Jays.
Tasked with slowing down Toronto's offense is Tyler Alexander, the 2-3 starting pitcher. Alexander has an ERA of 4.05 over the span of 33.1 innings this season.
Toronto Blue Jays: Kikuchi takes the mound for the Blue Jays
The Blue Jays might look like the clear winner, but this goes much deeper. On the mound tonight is Yusei Kikuchi, who has a 3-5 record with an ERA of 5.12. Even compared to Alexander of the Tigers, this ERA is awful.
If there are any cracks in the Blue Jays team, it's with Kikuchi on the mound. The good news is the bats of the Blue Jays can make up for it.
As a team, the Blue Jays are batting .267, ranking first in terms of batting average. They have an on-base percentage of .331, ranking third overall. Along with that, they rank second in slugging percentage (.441) and third in runs (479).
The Blue Jays are a great team; there's no denying that. The question is, are they good enough to win this game tonight?
Detroit Tigers at Toronto Blue Jays Betting Pick
The Toronto Blue Jays come into this game as -227 underdogs for a good reason. Even with Kikuchi on the mound, the Blue Jays should be able to win this one. With a 31-20 record at home this season, the Blue Jays are your best bet tonight.
Along with taking the Blue Jays at -227, we're going to take the over as well. In four of Detroit's last five games, the total has gone over. Also, when looking at these pitchers, it's likely that each team puts up quite a few runs.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Toronto Blue Jays -227, OVER
Prop Picks
Toronto (+115) OVER 5.5 Runs
Toronto is averaging 4.89 runs per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 3 in the league. Detroit is allowing 4.41 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 19 in the league. That average increases to 4.45 runs per 9 innings on the road. Scores have gone OVER in 22 of Toronto’s last 29 home games.
With Dunkel predicting a Toronto home victory by the score of 7-4, take the Blue Jays (+115) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 5.5 runs against the Tigers.
Toronto (-135) Most Hits
Toronto is averaging 9.18 hits per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 1 in the league. Detroit is averaging 7.55 hits per 9 innings on offense, which ranks No. 27 in the league. That average decreases to 7.05 hits per 9 innings on the road.
With Dunkel predicting a Blue Jays home win while going OVER their Vegas run total, take Toronto (-135) to finish with more hits than Detroit.
George Springer (-165) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Springer has scored 56 runs in 86 games played this season, which ranks No. 1 on the Blue Jays. The center fielder has scored 32 runs in 175 ABs with an OBP of .345 at home compared to 24 runs in 151 ABs and a .318 OBP on the road.
With Dunkel predicting the final score going OVER the Vegas total, take Springer (-165) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored versus the Tigers.
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