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The Boston Red Sox are down their closer and leadoff man for their series in Toronto because neither of them is vaccinated for COVID. The Blue Jays are favored on the MLB odds for Tuesday’s second game of the series.

How to Bet Red Sox at Blue Jays MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 7:07 PM ET
Where: Rogers Centre
Probable pitchers (away/home): Michael Wacha/Ross Stripling
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Blue Jays -140, Red Sox +130 (total 10)

Why Bet on Boston?

The Red Sox have won each of their last 7 series. They are 11-1-2 in their last 14 series after going 1-7-1 in their first 9 this year. The Red Sox feature an MLB-best 3 qualifying hitters batting at least .300 with an .850 OPS: Rafael Devers (.334, .998), Xander Bogaerts (.330 AVG, .874 OPS), and J.D. Martinez (.329, .924). The Sox feature 9 players with 20+ RBI, tied for most in the majors.

The Sox have placed closer Tanner Houck and good-looking rookie outfielder Jarren Duran on the restricted list for this series because they aren’t vaccinated for COVID. The 25-year-old Duran has excelled in an extended opportunity over the last few weeks, hitting .327/.386/.500 with seven extra-base hits and four steals in 57 plate appearances this season at the big-league level.

Duran has been a sparkplug at the top of the lineup. He’s getting on base and he’s always a threat to run once he gets on, adding an element that the Red Sox have been lacking in recent years. Most importantly, his plate discipline is much better. Duran struck out at an alarming rate last year (35.7 K%) and rarely walked (3.6 BB%). During his brief time in the majors this year, his strikeout rate has dropped to 19.3% and he’s increased his walk rate to 7.0%.

It’ll likely be up to John Schreiber, Matt Strahm or even Jake Diekman to handle any save opportunities with Houck out.

It’s Michael Wacha (6-1) on the mound Tuesday. Wacha yielded two runs in six innings last Wednesday in a win over the Tigers. Wacha got off to a rough start in the outing, serving up a two-run homer to Javier Baez in the first inning. The right-hander settled down from there, keeping the Tigers off the scoreboard for the remainder of his start. Wacha racked up a season-high seven strikeouts. It has been a resurgent campaign for the veteran as he boasts a 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP over 65.1 innings. His six wins rank second on the club.

Wacha ranks among AL leaders (min. 10 starts) in ERA (6th, 2.34), WHIP (11th, 1.04), opponent AVG (9th, .205), and opponent OPS (8th, .596). He has allowed 2 runs or fewer in 10 of his 12 starts. The Sox are 8-2 in those starts. Wacha earned the win at Toronto on April 27 and in five career appearances against the Jays is 1-1 with a 3.91 ERA (10 ER/23.0 IP).

Why Bet on Toronto?

The Blue Jays currently rank 2nd in the AL in AVG, (.255), 2nd in SLG (.430), 2nd in OPS (.753), and 3^rd in OBP (.323). For the month of June, Toronto is 1st in the Majors in AVG (.283), OBP (.349), and OPS (.852). Blue Jay batters have combined for a hard-hit percentage of 44.2, the highest in MLB, while their average exit velocity of 90.3 MPH trails only the Yankees for top spot (90.5). Toronto batters currently rank 1st in the AL in home OBP (.331), home SLG (.453), and home OPS (.784) while 2nd in home AVG (.361).

Catcher Danny Jansen is likely to require a rehab assignment before being activated. Jansen resumed baseball activities a week ago, but it’s not clear when he might be game-ready. He’s been out since early June with a fractured finger. Reliever Trevor Richards (neck) threw a 21-pitch live batting practice session Monday. Richards has been out for the last week and a half with a neck strain but has progressed to facing hitters. It’s not clear whether he’ll need a rehab assignment first, but he would appear close to returning.

To beef up the bullpen, the Blue Jays are signing free agent right-hander Sergio Romo. The 39-year-old veteran has made 815 career appearances since 2008. He struggled earlier this year with Seattle, posting a bloated 8.16 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 11/4 K/BB ratio across 14 1/3 innings (17 appearances). Another reliver, Shaun Anderson, had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo on Monday. Anderson was unable to land a spot on Toronto’s Opening Day roster this year, but he made 14 appearances (six starts) in Buffalo and posted a 3.91 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 46 innings. He should take on a low-leverage bullpen role in the majors after Jeremy Beasley was sent down Monday.

It’s Ross Stripling (4-2) on the mound Tuesday. Stripling tossed six innings of one-run ball last Wednesday as the Blue Jays topped the White Sox 9-5. The Sox weren’t able to dent the scoreboard against Stripling until his final inning of work when Luis Robert delivered a two-out RBI single. He wound up allowing just five hits — all singles — and one walk while notching five strikeouts. Stripling has now been excellent in three of four starts since entering the rotation.

Stripling faced Boston on April 27, tossing 5.0 frames of one-run ball with 5H, 0BB, and 7K. Over 7 career meetings with the Red Sox, he has gone 2-3 with a 6.52 ERA (21 ER/29.0 IP).