Blue Jays underdogs at surprising Braves on Tuesday night

Toronto-Blue-Jays-starting-pitcher-Marcus-Stroman-celebrates-after-getting-the-final-out-with-the-bases-loaded-in-the-third-inning-of-the-team's-baseball-game-against-the-Anaheim-Angels-in-Anaheim,-Calif.,-Saturday,-June-23,-2018.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Marcus Stroman celebrates after getting the final out with the bases loaded in the third inning of the team's baseball game against the Anaheim Angels in Anaheim, Calif., Saturday, June 23, 2018. (Chris Carlson/AP)

The Toronto Blue Jays will open a six-game road trip on Tuesday when they travel to Atlanta for the first of two interleague dates with the Braves as +110 underdogs on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.

Toronto hits the road after losing two of three to the New York Yankees over the weekend, capped by Sunday’s 2-1 loss as a +145 home underdog that dropped the club to 4-7 in 11 outings ahead of Tuesday night’s Blue Jays versus Braves betting matchup at SunTrust Park.

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The Blue Jays’ struggle with consistency is reflected by their inability to regularly post wins in consecutive contests. Toronto has claimed victory in back-to-back contests just once in their past 11 games, and a three-game win streak on a western swing in late June marked the first time that the Blue Jays have picked up consecutive wins on the road since mid-May.

The Blue Jays have been generally dismal in games away from Rogers Centre, going 5-13 in their past 18, and have been held to one or fewer runs in four of their past nine. However, the club has performed well in interleague action this season, going 8-4 in 12 contests including a 3-2 mark in five road dates.

The Braves return home from a 10-game road trip on a 1-5 run that has cost them their undisputed grip on top spot in the National League East standings. A -130 favourite for Tuesday’s series opener, Atlanta now sits neck-and-neck with the Philadelphia Phillies in the divisional standings, while the Washington Nationals have closed the gap as well.

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A porous Braves defence has surrendered 6.17 runs per game during their current six-game swoon, including a lopsided 10-3 loss in Milwaukee as +113 underdogs on Sunday afternoon.

Atlanta has also struggled on home turf, going 2-4 in their past six, and has struggled in dates with Toronto in recent years, posting a 6-9 record in 15 meetings since May 2013, according to the OddsShark MLB Database, including a split of a two-game series with the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in mid-June.

Following their visit to Atlanta, the Blue Jays move on to Boston for a four-game weekend series with the league-leading Red Sox. Toronto was swept in a three-game set at Fenway Park in late May, and is just 2-7 in nine dates with the Red Sox this season.

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