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Free Baseball Predictions: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Miami Marlins Preview

Blue Jays vs Marlins MLB Betting + Handicapping Picks

The Toronto Blue Jays will fly south of the border this weekend to take on the Miami Marlins in a three-game set.

Both teams are teetering on the .500 mark, and they have both been wildly inconsistent. So this one is up for grabs.

TOR: Brett Cecil (1-0, 3.60 ERA) v MIA: Josh Johnson (4-5, 4.18 ERA)
Date/Time: Saturday, June 23, 2012, 1:10 PM ET
Venue: Marlins Park in Miami Florida
Broadcast: RSN (Toronto), FOX Sports (Florida)
Line: OFF
Over/Under: OFF

Matchup | Preview 

The Jays continue their current nine-game road trip with this set against Miami. They are coming off a series loss to the Brewers. They have actually won four of their last six, but when you look at it in a broader manner you see a team that is has actually lost 8-of-13.

The Jays will hope that they can turn things around before the All-Star break, and a good showing in the sunshine state could set the team in the right direction.

Meanwhile, the Fish have just been flat out awful as of late. After claiming first place in the division back in late May they have since fallen apart. The club has dropped 12 of their last 14, and shows no signs of reversing that trend anytime soon.

The pitching match-up:
Jays – Brett Cecil 1-0 3.60 ERA – 5 K’s – 1.20 WHIP

Cecil is no stranger to the big leagues, but he is coming off his first start of the 2012 season. The hard-slinging southpaw pitched as well as he needed to in his outing against the Phillies. Going five innings while walking just one batter. He gave up five hits and two runs in that start, picking up the win in the process. [dfads params=’groups=10&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]

Marlins – Josh Johnson 4-5 4.18 ERA – 70 K’s – 1.46 WHIP
Johnson has just has not been able to find his past form during the 2012 campaign. He has started to come around as of late though. The 28-year old has not given up more than three runs in his last eight starts. The Marlins have won six times during that span. In the two losses, he has been given just one run total of support. Maybe things are looking up for the young right-hander.

Players to watch for:
Jays – Jose Bautista .232/22/52/.353

Bautista doesn’t have much of a track record against Johnson, but he has started to find his stroke as of late. He has piled up 22 long balls this season, and looks poised to build on his back- to-back campaigns of 43-plus home runs.

Marlins – Giancarlo Stanton .269/14/42/.344
Stanton has just two hits in his last seven games, but he is just too talented to be kept down for too long. He has 14 homers on the season, but just one has come in the current month. This was back on the June 6. He has yet to face Cecil this season, but hits lefties at a .328 clip. Including a homer every 13 at-bats.

Matt’s Free Prediction: Toronto

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