If it’s the weekend — and it is — we’re throwing a parlay party.
When the hottest team in baseball saunters into a series with the A’s, we’re doubling down.
Toronto’s 10-game winning streak ended, but the Blue Jays haven’t lost consecutive games in three weeks. And on Friday night, the A’s are serving up a lukewarm starting pitcher with their top offensive player — All-Star shortstop Jacob Wilson — a game-time decision with a hand contusion that kept him out of the lineup for two games and the previous eight innings since being hit by a pitch. We’re seeing big potential for the Blue Jays to bounce back.
Toronto Blue Jays at Oakland Athletics
Coming off their first loss since June 28 (2–1 to the White Sox on Wednesday), the Blue Jays have a three-game set with the A’s before the All-Star break.
Toronto’s Max Scherzer (0–0, 4.76 ERA) will make his fifth start of the season Friday after missing nearly three months due to a right thumb injury. The thumb was acting up during Scherzer’s start against the Los Angeles Angels last Saturday. The three-time Cy Young Award winner exited after four innings and allowed two runs and five hits. The Blue Jays won 4–3 in 11 innings.
Scherzer is 3–1 with a 3.86 ERA in 49 innings over nine career starts against the Athletics.
Right-hander Luis Severino (2–10, 5.30) hasn’t been shy about complaints regarding the A’s temporary home park, where he is 0–8 with a 7.04 ERA. Severino lost at home to the San Francisco Giants last Saturday, giving up five runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings in a 7–2 setback. Overall, he has dropped four straight starts and has a 9.50 ERA during the span, serving up six homers in 18 innings.
Severino has done well against the Blue Jays, but that’s because he played for the Yankees in his previous stop. He was 6–3 with a 3.97 ERA in 18 appearances (15 starts) against Toronto.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is 4-for-12 with a home run in his career against Severino.
The A’s did swipe two of three from the Braves in their previous series, and we’re no longer talking about Scherzer as a shutdown starter. There will be runs — and more runs — if hitters come through with runners on base Friday night.
We’re still taking the moneyline. The Blue Jays are hot, and the A’s are 18–30 at home.
Given the high WHIP rate for both starters — 1.35 for Scherzer, 1.39 for Severino — the odds are good that we’ll see multiple baserunners per inning.
Parlay: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. over 1.5 total bases, Blue Jays ML and over 10.5 total runs (+675 at FanDuel)
