Chris Sale and the Braves (77-65) will host the Blue Jays (68-75) at Truist Park in Atlanta, and the forecast calls for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. The over/under line is at 7.5 runs, and Atlanta is the heavy favorite on the money line (-272).</
Yariel Rodriguez will be on the mound for the Blue Jays, who are 5th in the AL East. This will be the second-to-last series for the Braves, as the regular season ends on October 3rd. Atlanta is 3rd in the NL East, and the Blue Jays are +223 on the money line for Sunday's matchup. BSSE will be televising this interleague matchup.
Toronto vs. Atlanta Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Blue Jays at Braves
- Where: Truist Park Atlanta
- Date: Sunday, September 8th
- Betting Odds ATL -272 | TOR +223 O/U 7.5
Blue Jays vs Braves Last Game Recap
Toronto picked up a 9-5 road win over the Braves in the most recent game of this series. The Blue Jays had a huge 9th inning, scoring three runs in the 5th and adding six more in the top of the 9th. Heading into the game, they were at +138 on the money line.
Jose Berrios started for the Blue Jays and picked up the win, going six innings and giving up just one run. He finished the game with five strikeouts but issued one walk. As for the Braves, Spencer Schwellenbach got the start and took the loss, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work.
At the plate, the Blue Jays were led by Spencer Horwitz, who went 4/5 with two homers and three RBIs. Will Wagner also had a three-hit game and drove in two runs. As a team, the Blue Jays had 17 hits and scored nine runs.
Blue Jays Preview
Overall, the Blue Jays have a 72-71 record on the run line this season, and they have been especially strong on the road with a 47-27 run line record. Their average run differential is -0.4 runs per game, but they have been outscored by just 0.1 runs per game on the road.
In the AL East, Toronto is in 5th place with a 68-75 record, 14.5 games behind the Yankees. They trail the Rays by 2.5 games for the 4th spot in the division and have lost two straight series. The Blue Jays' overall series record is 16-23-6, and their over/under record this season is 75-65.
Right-hander Yariel Rodríguez gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Braves on the road. He has made 17 starts this season and has a record of 1-6 with an ERA of 4.61. So far, Rodríguez has made 11 appearances on the road, going 1-4 with a 9.0 ERA. His ERA at home is 3.98. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going three innings and not allowing a run against the Twins. Before that, he had given up at least two homers in three straight starts.
So far this season, the Blue Jays offense has been pretty average, as they are 17th in runs per game at 4.3 and are batting .243 as a team. They have also been one of the better teams in the league at avoiding strikeouts. Toronto's offense has been led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is hitting .326 for the season with 28 homers and 94 RBIs. He has also been hot of late, going 13/34 in his last eight games.
One of the Blue Jays' top power threats, George Springer, is hitting just .219 for the season, but he does have 19 homers, which is 2nd on the team. Springer is also on a three-game hitting streak. Toronto has also gotten a boost from Spencer Horwitz, who has three homers in his last nine games while batting .324.
Braves Preview
Atlanta games have gone over the total in 52 of 85 contests this season, with an average of 8.1 runs per game. The Braves are 39-34 vs. the run line on the road, but just 29-40 at home. As favorites, they are 51-63 vs. the run line, and 17-11 as underdogs.
Currently, the Braves are 8 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, with a 77-65 overall record. This season, they have been the favorite in 114 games, going 65-49 in those matchups. The series vs. the Blue Jays is currently tied at one game apiece.
Chris Sale has been dominant this season, coming into the game with a record of 16-3 and an ERA of 2.46. He has made 26 starts, and opponents are batting just .212 off the left-hander this season. Sale has made 16 quality starts this year and is averaging 11.54 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, Sale picked up the win, going seven innings and not giving up a run to the Rockies. Looking back over his last four outings, he has given up two earned runs in three of them. Sale has been especially tough at home, coming in with a record of 9-0 and an ERA of 3.08.
Marcell Ozuna has been the Braves' top hitter this season, batting .307 with 37 home runs and 98 RBIs. Ozuna is also on a 4-game hitting streak. Matt Olson is also a power threat in the lineup, with 25 homers but is batting just .232 for the season. Olson is also on a 4-game hitting streak.
As a team, the Braves are 5th in home runs and are averaging 4.3 runs per game, which is just 16th in the league. Atlanta has been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.6 runs per contest. Overall, they are batting .241 and are 10th in slugging percentage.
Blue Jays vs. Braves Prediction: Blue Jays ML +223
Our prediction for today's Blue Jays vs. Braves game is to take the Blue Jays on the money line at +223. We have the Blue Jays winning this one by a final score of 5-4, giving us a lot of value with the Blue Jays to pick up the win.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Chris Sale finishing with nine strikeouts compared to Yariel Rodríguez with six. However, Sale is projected to give up fewer runs than Rodríguez, but we still like the Blue Jays to come out on top.
