The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to close the gap on the top of the AL East standings as they open a three-game series against the visiting Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night as -190 home betting favourites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto is coming off a 5-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Sunday, and has now earned the win in seven of eight outings heading into Tuesday night’s matchup at Sahlen Field.
The Blue Jays’ current surge represents a welcome turnaround after the team posted just three wins in their prior 12 contests. However, Toronto still has plenty of work to do to return to the hunt for a postseason berth. Despite their recent steady performance, the Blue Jays enter the week lagging six games back of the division-leading Boston Red Sox, and five games back in the hunt for a wild card berth. That is reflected on the current odds to win the AL East, where the Blue Jays remain well off the pace as a lengthy +725 wager.
The team’s recent strong play has also reversed what was a worrisome run of futility on home turf. Prior to taking three of four games from the Orioles this past weekend, the Blue Jays had mustered just three wins in 14 home contests, and maintain a middling 16-17 home record. And while they have feasted on visiting opponents currently sporting losing records, the Blue Jays have struggled against visiting teams in contention, going 1-11 in their past 12 such games against opponents with winning records.
That bodes poorly against the Mariners, who arrive in town for Tuesday’s contest as +165 underdogs at online betting sites. Seattle has clawed its way back into the hunt for a wild card spot with wins in nine of its past 12 contests, trailing the Blue Jays by just a half-game. But with most of their recent success coming at home, the Mariners still face a challenge to reverse a losing narrative on the road, where they have lost seven of their past 11 and tallied just one series win since late April.
The Mariners have also compiled a streaky record when facing Toronto on the road. Seattle has earned the win in four of its past six away dates with the Blue Jays, but has been prone to lengthy losing streaks against its expansion cousin, enduring road losing streaks lasting four or more games on two occasions since 2013. Recent road dates with Toronto have also trended towards low scoring, with the UNDER going 13-6 in 19 meetings dating back to September 2014.
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