MLB Predictions: Red Sox vs Blue Jays Lines
The Toronto Blue Jays host the Boston Red Sox on Monday in the opening game of a four-game set at the Rogers Center. Neither side sits where they would like to in the American League East, and the loser of this series will only be digging themselves a deeper hole.
Boston Red Sox (46-52) at Toronto Blue Jays (51-48)
Date: Monday, July 21, 2014
Time: 7:07 p.m. ET
Venue: Rogers Centre
City: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
O/U Odds: 8.5
Money Line: Toronto -106, Boston -102
Pitching Matchup: RH John Lackey (10-6, 3.79 ERA) at RH Drew Hutchison (6-8, 4.16 ERA)
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The Blue Jays give the ball to Drew Hutchison in the opener of this series. Hutchison was happy to see the All-Star break come down as he was having some real trouble entering that time off. In his final five starts before the break, Hutchison compiled a 1-4 record and saw his ERA climb 54 points.
Hutchison’s final start before the break was the worst of the bunch, as he allowed six runs in 5 1/3 innings, scattering six hits and walking five while striking out seven batters in a 10-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Hutchison’s quietly been quite effective for the Blue Jays this season, though, entering that stretch of games with a 5-4 record and a 3.62 ERA. In his last start against the Red Sox, Hutchison earned the win, allowing only one earned run over 5 2/3 innings of work, giving up six hits and walking two while striking out four batters in a 6-4 Blue Jays win at Fenway Park.
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John Lackey counters for the Red Sox. He entered a real rough patch prior to the break, but appeared to re-find his groove in his final start before the layoff.
After throwing a complete-game shutout against the Minnesota Twins on June 18, Lackey surrendered 16 earned runs in 14 innings of work over his next three starts. In his final start before the break, though, Lackey produced a quality outing, allowing two runs over six innings of work in an 8-3 win over the Houston Astros.
The Blue Jays have been the better team this season, and they get this ball game at home. Only one side in this series has realistic playoff expectations, while the other has turned to a younger lineup. It’s about time we begin to see the gap in the standings between these two teams begin to widen.
Additionally, while Lackey has struggled to earn wins against the Blue Jays while with the Red Sox, he remains a quality starter and faces a depleted lineup in this one. Additionally, Hutchison has flown under the radar, but he has the stuff to control this Red Sox lineup.
The Blue Jays are 7-0 in Hutchison’s last seven starts in the opening game of a series, while the Red Sox are 1-7 in Lackey’s last eight starts versus the Blue Jays.
The under is 12-4 in the Blue Jays’s last 16 games overall, and it is 6-2 in Hutchison’s last eight starts overall.
The play: Toronto -106, Under 8.5