The Blue Jays and Red Sox both have the tough task of being in the AL East and having to chase the league-best Yankees. While that's more of a long-term goal, they can use this series to improve wildcard positioning. Toronto ended the 1st half of the season struggling quite a bit. However, they came out of the all-star break with Friday's absurd 28-5 win. Boston entered the all-star break having to face the Yankees, which is never fun. The Jays have already secured this series win, so let's see how the finale should play out. Along with this same game parlay, be sure to check out our thoughts on the side and total for all of today's games.
Blue Jays -1.5 (-105)
Both teams over total runs (-230)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 2+ total bases (-150)
Parlay odds: +330
Let's take a closer look at each leg of our same game parlay.
Blue Jays -1.5 (-105)
There's no denying the Blue Jays didn't look great heading into the all-star break. However, they did still win their last 3 games heading into the break, and clearly came out hot against the Red Sox. Obviously 28 runs can't be expected on a nightly basis, as it isn’t the NFL season after all. Regardless, it's no surprise the Jays opened at -130 and have already been bet to such heavy favorites. They won't get to have Alek Manoah on the mound again, but Ross Stripling should be able to outduel his counterpart. Stripling will also have the benefit of avoiding Rafael Devers, who was placed on the injured list yesterday. For as solid as the Sox lineup has been, it's their pitching staff that's been holding them back from progressing in the AL East.
They have some well-known names like Nathan Eovaldi and Nick Pivetta in the starting rotation, but also have unknowns like Brayan Bello. With respect to Bello, there's no reason to expect a rookie with 2 career appearances to keep guys like George Springer and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in check. He allowed at least 4 runs in both games, with the Sox losing them by a combined core of 17-6. It's likely he gets pulled early, but that's just more good news for the Jays. Boston's bullpen has fallen off in a big way recently, and is now the 8th-worst in the league. With Toronto seeming to find their groove to start the 2nd half of the season, they can really get it started with a series sweep against a division rival.'''