The Toronto Blue Jays will be looking to snap out of a funk that has resulted in losses in nine of their past 13 games as they open a three-game series with the Detroit Tigers on Friday night as -160 road favourites on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto hits the road for its trip to Detroit after falling 10-7 to the visiting Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon, and now sits 12.5 games back of first-place Tampa Bay in the AL East standings going into Friday night's matchup at Comerica Park.
Overall, it has been a forgettable month for the Blue Jays, who have tallied consecutive wins just once while going 7-11 over their past 18 contests. In addition to effectively ending their hopes to compete for the AL East title, the club's prolonged slide has also cast serious doubts on their bid to claim a wild card spot. With Thursday's loss, the Blue Jays remain buried in fifth in the AL wild card standings. Not surprisingly, the Blue Jays have continued to lose substantial ground on the World Series odds, entering the weekend as a distant +5000 bet.
In addition, Toronto dropped two of three to the Tigers last weekend at Rogers Centre, and has posted wins in just five of the last 12 meetings between these two teams dating back to July 2018. The Blue Jays have also produced streaky results in recent visits to Comerica Park, as the team currently enjoys a 3-1 run on the road against Detroit after falling to defeat in eight of their previous 11 such outings.
A key to success for the Blue Jays this weekend will be their ability to generate offence. The team is coming off its strongest offensive performance since August 15 in Thursday's loss, ending a stretch of five straight games in which they scored three or fewer runs. The Blue Jays have also piled up the runs in recent road dates with the Tigers, averaging 7.5 runs per game over their past four, and scoring seven or more runs in five of their past 10 games at Comerica Park.
The Tigers, meanwhile, will be looking to maintain their recent stingy ways when they return home for Friday's series opener as +140 home underdogs at sports betting sites. Detroit closed out a five-game road trip with a 3-2 loss in St. Louis on Wednesday. However, the Tigers have surrendered more than five runs just once in their past seven contests, fueling a 6-1 run for the UNDER in totals betting.
