The Toronto Blue Jays kick off a six-game road trip on Friday as they travel to Boston to take on the Red Sox as heavy +290 underdogs on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto hits the road after posting a 7-5 extra-innings win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep, but the team has posted just four wins in 14 outings going into Friday night’s Blue Jays vs. Red Sox betting matchup at Fenway Park.
The team has seen a number of key personnel sidelined in recent weeks. First baseman Justin Smoak and starting pitchers Edwin Jackson and Clay Buchholz remain on the shelf, while closer Ken Giles and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez both returned to action in the Blue Jays’ victory as +130 underdogs on Thursday after missing time with upper-body injuries.
The Blue Jays have dramatically felt the effects of their injury woes, surrendering 92 total runs during their current 4-10 run, extending a woeful stretch that has seen them tally consecutive wins on just two occasions while falling to defeat in 34 of 47 contests since April 30.
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The effects of the club’s freefall on their MLB futures has been equally dramatic, with Toronto now pegged as a +250000 longshot on the World Series odds while sporting even lengthier +350000 odds to win the AL East division crown.
One bright spot was the team’s respectable play on their last road trip earlier this month, when they went 3-3 over six meetings split between Baltimore and Houston. However, recent dates with the Red Sox have not gone well. The Blue Jays dropped three of four to the Red Sox at Rogers Centre in late May to fall to 6-19 in their last 25 clashes with the defending World Series champions, according to the OddsShark MLB Database, including a 2-11 record in their past 13 contests in Boston.
Further complicating matters for Toronto is Boston’s recent strong play. The Red Sox return home on Friday as strong -340 favourites on the moneyline after going 5-1 on a road trip with stops in Baltimore and Minnesota, and have now claimed victory in seven of their past eight games.
However, the Red Sox have struggled with consistency so far this season in contests on home turf at Fenway Park. The team is winless in five straight home series while going 6-10 during that stretch, and has surrendered six or more runs in seven of its past 13 home dates.
