The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to end a two-game losing streak and maintain their tenuous grip on an AL wild-card spot when they open a three-game series against the Seattle Mariners on Monday as slender -110 favourites at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto tallied just one total run in a pair of road losses to the Los Angeles Angels over the weekend, forcing them to settle for a split in their four-game set and dropping them to 6-12 over their past 18 games ahead of Monday night’s Blue Jays vs. Mariners betting matchup at Safeco Field.
The recent swoon could not have come at a worse time for the Blue Jays, who now sit a full four games back of first-place Boston after leading the AL East standings by two games as recently as Sept. 1.
Toronto faces challenges both at the plate and on the mound.
Blue Jays hitters have scored three or fewer runs in eight of their past 11 outings, forcing the run total UNDER on seven occasions. The club’s big bats have also failed to produce in the clutch, going a dismal 1-for-17 in their past two games with runners in scoring position.
The recent news that starter Marco Estrada has continued to pitch while battling a herniated disk in his back has also shaken the Blue Jays, and leaves manager John Gibbons facing numerous hard roster choices if the club qualifies for the post-season.
The sudden uncertainty surrounding Toronto’s playoff hopes has begun to erode the Blue Jays’ MLB futures. A 17-11 record during August lifted the Blue Jays’ championship odds to a season-best +750, according to the OddsShark World Series Odds Tracker.
However, with the club sitting just two games ahead of the Mariners and the Detroit Tigers for the final wild-card spot, Toronto has tumbled to +1200 on the World Series odds, and has also fallen to a long +625 to claim their first AL Pennant since 1993.
Conversely, Seattle has resurrected its fading post-season chances following a late-August slump, winning 10 of 13 games and lifting themselves from +5000 to +3300 on the World Series odds since Sept. 1.
However, the Mariners will need to improve on their recent performances at home if they are to claim a wild-card berth. Seattle dropped two of three to Houston over the weekend, leaving them with a meagre 6-8 record in their past 14 home dates.
The Mariners have held the edge over the Blue Jays in recent meetings, going 7-3 in their past 10 matchups overall against their expansion cousins, and 9-3 in their past 12 at home according to the OddsShark MLB Database.