The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to tally their first series victory in Detroit in over five years this weekend as they open a three-game set with the Tigers on Friday as minus-145 road betting favourites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto, with Marcus Stroman scheduled to take the mound on Friday, travels to Detroit after dropping three of four in Boston earlier this week, capped by a 5-0 loss on Thursday to fall to 2-5 through the first seven games of the team’s current 10-game road trip.
The Blue Jays will be looking forward to a break from a recent stretch dominated by dates with AL East rivals. The team has faced divisional opponents in 19 of its past 23 outings, and has struggled to rise to the occasion, going 9-14 during that stretch including a 5-10 run in its past 15 games, according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
The team has also struggled badly on the road in recent weeks, regardless of the opponent, going 7-18 in 25 games away from Rogers Centre since May 26, and allowing a hefty 6.08 runs per game during that stretch. That porous defence has not translated into steady results in totals betting, with the OVER paying out in just 12 of Toronto’s past 25 road dates.
However, with the Blue Jays now sporting a 36-62 record and remaining on pace to lose 100 games for the first time in 40 years they have plummeted on the MLB futures, and now sit as massive plus-400000 long shots on the odds to win the World Series at betting sites.
Toronto has also struggled badly in recent years when making the drive down the highway to Detroit. The Blue Jays have mustered just four wins in 12 road dates with the Tigers since June 2014, and have posted just one series victory in the Motor City since 2010.
But with Detroit returning home in free fall, the Blue Jays may have ample opportunity to rewrite that narrative. The Tigers hobble into Friday’s matchup as plus-135 home underdogs after closing out a seven-game road trip in Cleveland with a 6-3 loss on Thursday night.
With the loss the Tigers now sport a 7-30 record since the beginning of June, with just one win in 13 home dates while surrendering 6.46 runs per game, padding an MLB-worst 12-32 home record. The Tigers have also struggled recently in games against opponents from the AL East, losing five straight, all at home, ending a 9-6 run since the start of the season.
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