Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports/Sipa USA

Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays: An AL East matchup

The Baltimore Orioles will try to stay on top of the division when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Park on Thursday.

The Orioles are on top of the AL

The Baltimore Orioles are on top of the AL East with a 68-47 record and 34-22 on the road. They have won 3 of the last 4 games and are coming off a 7-3 win over the Blue Jays. The Orioles have a 3.90 ERA, a .233 batting average, a .302 on-base percentage, and 1.23 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Gunnar Henderson leads the team with 129 hits, 93 runs and 29 home runs.

Can the Blue Jays save the season?

The Toronto Blue Jays are at the bottom of the AL East with a 52-62 record, including 27-29 at home. They have lost 5 of their last 7 games. The Blue Jays have a 4.61 ERA, a .250 batting average, a .322 on-base percentage, and 1.34 walks plus hits per inning pitched. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the team with 138 hits, 66 runs, and 22 home runs.

Betting Trends

The Blue Jays are 2-5 SU in their last 7 games overall, 4-10 SU in their last 14 games against the Orioles, and 4-9 SU in their last 13 games against teams from the AL East. Toronto has played over the total run line in 16 of their last 20 games overall, in 5 of their last 7 games against Baltimore, in 6 of their last 6 home games and in 7 of their last 10 games against teams from the AL. The Orioles are 4-2 SU in their last 6 games overall, 10-4 SU in their last 14 games against Toronto, and 5-2 SU in their last 7 games against teams from the AL East. Baltimore has played over the total run line in 14 of their last 16 games overall, in 8 of their last 9 games on the road, and in 6 of their last 7 games against teams from the AL.

Prediction and Conclusion

These two teams split the first two games of the series, with the Blue Jays winning the opener by 5-2 and then the Orioles responding with a 7-3 victory. They have completely different seasons, as the Blue Jays are stuck at the bottom of the AL East while the Orioles are sharing the top with the same record as the Yankees. That’s why every game matters for the Orioles, and they will try to win this one with Dean Kremer on the mound. He is only 4-8 for the season, with a 4.39 ERA, 75 K, 88 IP, and 1.25 WHIP. The Blue Jays will go with Kevin Gausman, who is 9-8 for the season with a 4.56 ERA, 119 K, 124.1 IP, and 1.30 WHIP. There is no doubt that the Orioles are the favorites to win this one, but still, the safest bet is to go over the total run line. Both teams have gone over for the majority of their recent games and in seven of their last 10 head-to-heads, so we go with over 9 runs in total.