Blue Jays vs Athletics Baseball Picks
It was a strange one last night but ultimately a loss for the Blue Jays who are now in a tie with Baltimore for first in the AL East.
Toronto Blue Jays (47-40) vs. Oakland A’s (52-33)
Friday July 4
O.co Coliseum – Oakland, CA
10:05PM
Probable pitchers
TOR: Marcus Stroman (R)
OAK: Tom Milone (L)
Moneyline: Oakland -135, Toronto +125
Total: 8
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Toronto
The Jays got a complete game from R.A. Dickey last night but the offense was quiet in the loss. Now they look to keep pace with the Orioles over the weekend.
The Jays are the top home run hitting team in the Majors and the offense has been feast or famine of late. When they were going great in May they were hitting them out of the yard but also manufacturing runs as well. They need to get back to that.
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Marcus Stroman may not look intimidating but anyone who faces him comes away thinking differently.
Since being given a chance in the rotation after coming back from AAA he has been very good, giving the Jays a chance to win almost every game. He is striking out 4 batters for everyone he walks and I expect he will find some success against the A’s feast or famine lineup.
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Once that has been struggling lately too.
Oakland
The A’s ended their rare three game losing streak by beating the Jays in their series opener last night – they just seem to have a lot of trouble with the Tigers.
Like Toronto a lot of their recent struggles have been because the bats went unexpected silent. However, this is still the top scoring team in the league and they have a nice cushion over the Angels to ride out a few bumps in the road.
Top bat Josh Donaldson has a tight back and might not be in the lineup tonight.
Tom Milone may be the weak link but that is just an indicator of how strong the A’s staff really is. He is 6-3 this season with an ERA of 3.79 and solid peripherals, not bad for a #4 or #5.
As in the past Milone is well adapted to o.co Coliseum. He has yet to lose a game at home this season and takes advantage of the parks large dimensions.
The A’s have won 7 of his last 8 starts.
I love the value on the Jays in this one. Stroman is proving tough to hit and the it looks like the A’s are down at least one bat for this one.
Dickey was very good last night and Stroman is a total change of pace too. Finally I love the Jays righthanded sluggers to feast on a lefty like Milone.
Go with the nice underdog play.
Total prediction: Under
Score prediction: Toronto 3 – Oakland 2
