Guardians vs. Blue Jays predictions: Picks, odds, live stream, TV channel, start time on Saturday, August 13
Guardians vs. Blue Jays predictions: Picks, odds, live stream, TV channel, start time on Saturday, August 13

The Cleveland Guardians and Toronto Blue Jays square off on Saturday with first pitch set for 3:07 p.m. ET. The game takes place at Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON and will be available to watch on ESPN+. Triston McKenzie (8-8, 3.16 ERA) will start for the Guardians the Blue Jays will counter with Mitch White (1-3, 3.86 ERA).

Cleveland (60-52) is surging and it could not have been scripted at a better time. The Guardians are 7-3 over their last 10 games and are riding a six-game winning streak as they have firmly taken control atop the AL Central. Their last victory was courtesy of an 8-0 blowout over the Blue Jays, which puts Cleveland's road record at a game above .500 on the road. Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor had a home run each as Amed Rosario pitched in with two RBIs to seal the victory in the series opener.

Toronto (60-51) will look to get back to their winning ways as they have now lost four straight games in a row. They still sit in second in the AL East and have a firm grip on a wild card spot, but how they close out the season will determine their seeding. The Blue Jays are just a half-game back from the Seattle Mariners for the top wild-card spot, and yet they have the rising Baltimore Orioles on their heels with just a 1.5-game lead standing between them. Getting back on track through the remainder of August can help bring stability back for Toronto in the standings.

Guardians vs. Blue Jays

Pitchers: Triston McKenzie vs. Mitch White
First pitch: 3:07 p.m. ET
Guardians local broadcast: Bally Sports Great Lakes
Blue Jays local broadcast: RSN
Live stream: WatchESPN, ESPN app with an ESPN+ subscription

Odds, picks & predictions

Run Line: Blue Jays -1.5 (+160)
Run total: 8
Moneyline odds: Guardians +105, Blue Jays -125

Moneyline pick: Blue Jays -125

The Blue Jays' series-opening loss to Cleveland feels a bit like an anomaly. Their previous three losses were close ones as they lost by a single run in each contest, and this offense has proven capable of putting their bats to the ball given they rank second in batting average at .264 and fifth in runs per game with 4.77. I think they find their offense in this one and bounce back for the win at home.

Player prop pick: Triston McKenzie over 4.5 strikeouts (-160)

McKenzie had a strong outing in his last starting, pitching eight innings while allowing two hits and finishing with eight strikeouts. He should be in for another solid outing on the mound against a Blue Jays team that he struck out six times when these two last met in May.

  
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