The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to continue a successful run that has produced wins in seven of their past 10 games in Seattle when they open up a three-game road series against the Mariners on Friday as -115 favourites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The team visits Seattle looking to break out of a recent funk that has left them without consecutive wins in nine contests ahead of Friday night’s Blue Jays vs. Mariners betting matchup at T-Mobile Park.
That includes clashes with the Mariners last week at the Rogers Centre, with the Blue Jays dropping two of three to their expansion cousins, extending a dismal run against Seattle on home turf that has produced just one series win since 2014.
Backed by Toronto baseball fans who have regularly turned out in big numbers, the Blue Jays have enjoyed regular success when visiting Seattle in recent years. The club has gone 7-3 in 10 such meetings since the start of the 2016 MLB season, while limiting the Mariners to two or fewer runs in seven of those outings, according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
The Mariners return home on Friday as slight +105 home underdogs after closing out a nine-game eastern swing with Wednesday’s 7-6 loss in Tampa Bay as +250 underdogs. Despite the loss, it remained a successful road trip for the Mariners, who went 6-3 while racking up 6.22 runs per game, including 22 total runs over three dates with the Rays.
However, consistent success has eluded the Mariners on home turf; the team dropped four of five while tallying just 2.8 runs per game just prior to hitting the road. And while Seattle managed to string together five straight wins on home turf in late July, four of those victories came against the bottom-feeding Detroit Tigers.
Rookie pitcher Trent Thornton will be looking to improve on his last outing against the Mariners when he takes the mound for the Blue Jays in Friday night’s series opener.
The right-hander was tagged for five hits and three earned runs in six innings of work in last Saturday’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Mariners as -163 home chalk at betting sites. The 25-year-old has struggled at times in recent road outings, surviving past the fourth inning just once in six road starts, while giving up four or more earned runs in five of those contests.
The Mariners will also turn to a rookie hurler, with Justus Sheffield set to make his first career major-league start on Friday night. The 23-year-old southpaw gets the call after compiling a 7-9 record and 4.13 ERA in 24 starts at AA and AAA this season.
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