The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to end a six-game losing streak in Cleveland when they open a three-game set against the Indians on Friday as +118 underdogs on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto enjoyed a day off on Thursday after closing out a three-game series in Baltimore with a 5-3 loss as a +121 underdog, dropping the club to 4-2 so far on its nine-game road trip going into Friday night’s Blue Jays versus Indians betting matchup at Progressive Field.
The Blue Jays averaged 5.33 runs per game while taking two of three from the Texas Rangers to open their current junket, capped by Sunday’s 7-4 win as a -110 bet. The club carried over that offensive punch into a 7-1 win as a +106 underdog in Monday’s series opener with the Orioles, and has tallied at least seven runs in five of 13 outings.
However, two subsequent meetings with the Orioles proved to be tighter affairs, with the Blue Jays eking out a narrow 2-1 win as -127 chalk on Tuesday in the lowest-scoring game they have played this season.
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Run production has also been a concern for Toronto during its current road slide against the Indians. The Blue Jays were outscored by a lopsided 23-5 margin over three losses in a visit to Cleveland last July, and have amassed just eight total runs over six straight losses at Progressive Field, according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
One of the few highlights of the club’s last visit to the shores of Lake Erie was the performance of Marcus Stroman, who surrendered one earned run over 7.2 innings while avoiding the decision in a 2-1 loss as a +105 bet on July 22. Stroman has now allowed just three total earned runs over 27.2 innings in four starts against Cleveland, and will be looking to bounce back from a shaky outing when he takes the hill for the Blue Jays on Friday.
Stroman was touched for five earned runs over 4.2 innings in a 5-1 loss to the Rangers last Saturday, inflating his ERA to a lofty 8.38 through his first two starts this season.
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The Indians enter Friday’s clash as -128 favourites after completing a four-game sweep of Detroit on Thursday with a 9-3 win as -195 chalk. Cleveland has now surrendered just six total runs in five straight wins, and more than two runs just three times in nine overall.
The Indians have also dominated on home turf, going 6-1 in seven dates this season, and 23-4 SU in 27 regular-season home contests since August 23.
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