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The Toronto Blue Jays will look to stave off elimination as they take on the Seattle Mariners at the Rogers Centre for Game 2 of the AL Wild Card round of the MLB playoffs.
If the Jays are able to stay alive, Game 3 will be held on Sunday, Oct. 9th in Toronto.
Let’s dive into to take a deeper look at the matchup for Game 2 to determine the best bets and props between the Blue Jays and Mariners.
Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2 Odds
The Blue Jays are heavy home favorites here, as oddsmakers project them to avoid the sweep in Game 2 with Kevin Gausman on the mound.
It’s a bit pricey at -158 odds, but it’s hard to see the Jays getting swept at home. The total sits at seven runs, which looks about right with Gausman taking on Robbie Ray.
Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2 Prediction
Blue Jays 5, Mariners 1
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While both pitchers are coming off strong seasons, I’m giving the pitching advantage to Toronto. Gausman finished the year with a 24.4% strikeout-to-walk rate, which ranked 5th in MLB.
The Jays’ ace was better than his 3.35 ERA suggests, as his 2.76 xFIP was only topped by Shohei Ohtani and Shane McClanahan. That’s pretty impressive company for your first year in the AL East.
When Gausman has his splitter going, he’s virtually unhittable. We’ve seen dominant performances from his this year, like in a August 2nd start where he shut out the Rays for eight innings, allowing only one hit with 10 strikeouts.
On the other hand, Ray has been good, but he still is prone to the longball, posting a 1.52 HR/9, which was the second-highest total among qualified pitchers. That’s bad news against a formidable lineup that includes George Springer, Bo Bichette, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
To make matters worse, the Jays’ lineup is extremely righty-heavy, making it more of a challenge for the left-handed Ray. The Mariners’ starter allowed a .431 slugging percentage to righties this season, which was much higher than his .387 total against lefties.
Toronto has an advantage on the mound and with home-field here, making it likely that they avoid the sweep.
Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2 Best Bet
Blue Jays Moneyline (-158) at FanDuel Sportsbook
WAGER: 1 Unit
I’m projecting a dominant outing from Gausman along with a much better offensive showing for the Jays here. Look for a couple of homers against their former teammate in Ray.
Look for Toronto to force a decisive Game 3 with a big win here.
Mariners vs Blue Jays Game 2 Props
Seattle vs Toronto props will be posted once they are released.
