Toronto Blue Jays vs St. Louis Cardinals Preview
The Blue Jays will be looking to extend their winning streak to three games when they host the Cardinals at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. However, they come into this interleague matchup as the slight money line favorite, with their odds sitting at -123 compared to the Cardinals at +104. Sunday’s forecast in Toronto calls for partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s.
First pitch for this one is set for 1:37 PM ET, and the Blue Jays will be starting Yariel Rodriguez, while the Cardinals are sending Miles Mikolas to the mound. St. Louis is currently 3rd in the NL Central, and they will look to snap a two-game losing streak.
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Toronto Blue Jays vs. St. Louis Cardinals Trends and Key Stats
- The Cardinals are 2-3 across their last five road games. They have gone 2-3 vs. the runline.
- Conversely, the Blue Jays have achieved a 2-3 (SU) record and 4-1 record in their last five home games.
- As the favorite, the Blue Jays are 9-1 over their last ten games, including going 7-3 vs. the runline.
- Looking back at their last ten games as the underdog, the Cardinals have a 4-6 straight-up record and a 5-5 record vs. the runline.
Toronto cruised to a 7-2 win over the Cardinals in the most recent game of this series. The Blue Jays had a huge 6th inning, scoring four of their seven runs. As for the Cardinals, they scored their only two runs in the 9th. Heading into the game, the Blue Jays were favored at -127 on the money line.
José Berríos pitched well for the Blue Jays in this one, going seven innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued two walks. On the other side, Kyle Gibson got the start for the Cardinals, going just 5 1/3 innings and giving up one run.
Toronto’s offense was led by Davis Schneider, who went 3/4 with a home run. He scored twice and drove in two runs. Alejandro Kirk also had a two RBI game at the plate.
Toronto Blue Jays vs St. Louis Cardinals Prediction
St. Louis is at an even 74-74 overall but are 12 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. The Cardinals have dropped two straight games, and they are 5-5 over their last 10 games. So far, they are 23-25 in divisional matchups.
At home, the Cardinals have gone 39-35 this season compared to 35-39 on the road. As the underdog, St. Louis’ record is 39-39, and they are 35-35 when favored. The Cardinals have won three straight series on the road, and their overall series record is 24-19-5 this year.
When betting the run line on the Cardinals, it’s been more profitable to take them as the underdog, as they are 50-28 against the run line in those games. They have an overall run line record of 73-75, with an average run margin of -0.4 runs per game. Their run line record on the road is 37-37, and they have failed to cover in their last three road games.
The St. Louis Cardinals are on the road today against the Toronto Blue Jays. The O/U line for the game is set at 8.5 runs, which is slightly below the combined run average of 8.6 runs for the two teams this season. The Cardinals have played 35 games this season with O/U lines set at 8.5 runs, and their record in those games is 29-18. Overall, the O/U record for the Cardinals this season is 70-74.
The Cardinals are sending right-hander Miles Mikolas to the mound today vs. the Blue Jays. Mikolas is coming off a rough outing vs. the Mariners, where he took the loss, giving up six earned runs in just two innings of work. In that outing, he gave up three homers. Before that, he had made three straight starts without giving up a homer. Mikolas has a record of 8-11 this season and an ERA of 5.55. Opposing batters are hitting .287 off Mikolas this year. Out of his 29 starts, he has 14 quality starts and is 7-5 on the road with a 5.14 ERA.
Heading into today’s game, Brendan Donovan is on a five-game hitting streak and has gone 7/17 in his last five games. For the season, he is batting .271 with 12 homers and 63 RBIs. Alec Burleson and Paul Goldschmidt are tied for the team lead with 21 homers, with Burleson also leading the team with 73 RBIs. Goldschmidt comes into the game with a batting average of .247.
As a team, the Cardinals are 25th in the league in runs scored, averaging 4.1 runs per game. They have been slightly better at home, averaging 4.2 runs per game. Overall, they are batting .246, which is 10th in the league, and are 17th in slugging percentage. St. Louis is also 19th in team walks and have an OPS of just .698.
Toronto is 71-78 overall, which puts them 5th in the AL East. Currently, they trail the Yankees by 15 games for the AL East lead. Overall, they are 15 games behind the Rays for the 2nd Wild Card spot. The Blue Jays have won two straight games, and they are 4-6 across their last 10.
At home, the Blue Jays are 37-37 this season and 34-41 on the road. As the favorite, Toronto has gone 43-28 and 28-50 as the underdog. Toronto has an overall series record of 16-25-6 and have dropped four straight series.
When the Blue Jays are the favorite, they are just 32-39 against the run line this season, but they are 44-34 as the underdog. Their average run margin this season is -0.3, but they are 3.3 in their wins and -3.6 in their losses.
The Blue Jays have a combined run average of 8.8 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 77-68. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 23-20. Overall, 28 of their games have had an over/under line set at 8.5 runs, accounting for 18.8% of their games this season.
Right-hander Yariel Rodríguez gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Cardinals at home. He has made 18 starts this season and has a record of 1-6 with an ERA of 4.42. Opposing batters are hitting .225 this season off Rodríguez, and he has a BB/9 figure of 4.17 compared to 9.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Rodríguez has only made two quality starts this year and finished with a no-decision in his last outing, giving up one earned run in five innings of work. Before that, he had allowed at least six earned runs in three straight outings.
Over his last eight games, Spencer Horwitz has been on fire for the Blue Jays, going 10/20 with three home runs and seven RBIs. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Justin Turner are both on four-game hitting streaks, with Guerrero Jr. leading the team with a .320 batting average and 28 home runs. His 96 RBIs are also the best mark on the team and 10th in the league. George Springer has also been a big power threat, but he is batting just .219 for the season.
Overall, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is just 17th in the league. As a team, they are batting .242, which is 12th best in the MLB. Toronto’s team home run total of 149 is 22nd in the league.
There are a few ways you could look to bet on this game, but we are going to recommend sticking with the Blue Jays on the money line at -123. We actually have the Blue Jays winning this one by a score of 5-4, so you could also look to take the over, as the line is sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Yariel Rodríguez is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is good for fourth worst among starters. As for Mikolas, he is projected to finish with four strikeouts, which is fifth worst. Offensively, the Cardinals are projected to finish with nine hits, compared to the Blue Jays with nine.
Toronto Blue Jays vs St. Louis Cardinals Betting Tips
- Take the Blue Jays on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Cardinals (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 9 runs, we like the over
Toronto Blue Jays Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Bo Bichette | Out | Calf |
| Jordan Romano | Out | Elbow |
| Leo Jiménez | Questionable | Finger |
| Orelvis Martinez | Out | Suspension |
| Alek Manoah | Out | Elbow |
| Joey Loperfido | Questionable | Hip |
St. Louis Cardinals Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Willson Contreras | Out | Finger |
| Keynan Middleton | Out | Forearm |
| Drew Rom | Out | Biceps |
