The Toronto Blue Jays will have their sights set on first place in the AL East standings when they begin a three-game series with the division-leading Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night as opening -140 favourites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto extended its recent stretch of consistent play with wins in five of its past six outings to enter the week in second place in the AL East standings, just 1.5 games back of Boston, heading into Tuesday night's matchup at TD Ballpark.
The Blue Jays are coming off another successful weekend, posting wins in two of their three dates with the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, capped by a 10-8 victory on Sunday afternoon. Once again, it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leading the attack, hitting his third home run in as many days. Guererro now sits among the AL leaders with 11 home runs on the season, and has also recorded at least one hit in six of his past seven outings.
The 22-year-old slugger has received plenty of help from a hard-hitting Toronto lineup, which has scored an average of 6.1 runs per game over the team's past 11 outings. Toronto's steady offensive production has also generated a boon for those taking the OVER on the totals, which is currently on a 12-6 run at betting sites.
However, the Blue Jays face a challenge to reverse their mediocre track record against Boston. The team split a pair of meetings with the Red Sox at Fenway Park in late April, and now sports a middling 12-12 record in its past 24 dates with its divisional rival. The Blue Jays also sport a shaky 5-7 record in their past 12 home dates with the Red Sox, according to the OddsShark MLB Database, and have failed to earn a three-game home series victory over Boston since September 2019.
The Red Sox, meanwhile, will travel to Dunedin aiming to overcome their recent streaky play. The team hits the road after seeing a three-game win streak come to an end on Sunday with a 6-5 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The Red Sox have struggled to rediscover consistency since opening the campaign on a 10-4 run, going 15-13 since then.
Despite their recent streaky play, however, the Red Sox have continued to produce at the plate, scoring 6.5 runs per game during their current 3-1 run. Boston has also impressed on the road this season, averaging five runs per game while racking up a 12-5 away record.
