It's safe to say that these are 2 teams that will be in different places come the end of the regular season. The Blue Jays now have an outside shot at winning the AL East, and are in a firm position for an AL wildcard spot. Meanwhile, the Angels have been quite the disappointment this season. However, they did just get 3-time MVP-winner Mike Trout back. Coupled with the generational talent of Shohei Ohtani, they always post a threat. Not only is this the first game of the day, it's one of the featured matchups with 2 aces on the mound. Along with this same game parlay, be sure to check out our MLB picks for all of today's games.
Angels ML (+136)
Under 8.5 total runs (-184)
Alek Manoah 6+ strikeouts (-280)
Parlay odds: +400
Let's take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay.
Los Angeles Angels ML (+136) over Toronto Blue Jays
The Angels haven't been an easy team to support this season, but they certainly handled things last night. They have a great opportunity for back-to-back upsets with Ohtani on the mound. He had to leave his most recent start with a stomach bug, but was back the next night. With no health concerns, there's no reason he can't be in his historic form from earlier this season. He went 6 straight starts striking out at least 10 batters. Although it wasn't during that stretch, that's exactly what he did against the Blue Jays earlier this season. While that ultimately ended in a loss, he's still been just as great recently.
Now that he has Trout back in the lineup alongside him, there is value on the Angels at this plus-money. Seeing that they were swept the last time these teams met may cause hesitation. However, each of the last 3 games were decided by a single run. Since then, Jays ace Alek Manoah has not been on Ohtani-level. Toronto has lost his last 3 starts, 2 of which were to the Orioles. He's allowed at least 3 runs in 3 of his last 5 starts, including a loss to the Tigers, the 2nd-worst team in the AL. While 3 runs may not sound like a lot, it is when Ohtani is the opposing pitcher. He should be able to get that many to help with a win, as Trout is hitting .317 with a .593 slugging percentage against the Jays in his career.'''