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Can the Toronto Blue Jays catch the first-place Boston Red Sox in the AL East? That question may be somewhat answered this week after the teams finish their series in Buffalo, the Jays’ temporary home. Toronto is favored for Monday’s opener on the MLB odds.

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

When: Monday, 7:07 PM ET
Where: Sahlen Field, Buffalo
Probable pitchers (away/home): Nick Pivetta/Ross Stripling
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/
Opening MLB Lines: Blue Jays -125, Red Sox +115 (total 10)

Why Bet on Boston?

The Red Sox plan to activate Danny Santana from the injured list before this game, although the 30-year-old has really struggled in hitting just .167/.231/.292 with three homers, 10 RBI and a 25/7 K/BB ratio over 104 plate appearances.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said that going forward Christian Arroyo will serve as the team’s primary first baseman versus right-handed pitching. Bobby Dalbec would start against lefties.

The Red Sox lead MLB with 29 outfield assists; no other team has more than 19…Sox outfielders rank T-1^st in MLB with 21 defensive runs saved. Hunter Renfroe (RF) and Alex Verdugo (LF) each have 5 defensive runs saved at their primary position. Kiké Hernández’s 12 defensive runs saved in center field are tied for the most by any player at any position (also Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings).

It’s Nick Pivetta (7-4) on the mound here. Pivetta was charged with five runs (four earned) over four innings two Sundays ago in a loss to the Phillies. Pivetta gave up only four hits, but a three-run homer by Ronald Torreyes in the fourth inning sealed his fate. He registered four strikeouts and only issued two walks. The 28-year-old has a 4.30 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 113/44 K/BB ratio across 96 1/3 innings (18 starts). He has allowed at least three earned runs in four of his last six outings.

Pivetta leads Sox starters in opponents’ average (.221) and strikeouts (113) and ranks 2nd in WHIP (1.28) and SO/9.0 IP (10.56). He has thrown at least six innings in eight of his 18 starts and at least five in 14 of them. Pivetta ranks 7th among qualified AL pitchers in SO/9.0 IP (10.56).

He is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in two starts this year vs. Toronto.

Why Bet on Toronto?

The Jays won’t have to play their home games outside of Toronto for much longer. Blue Jays president and CEO Mark Shapiro said over the weekend that the team has been approved for up to 15,000 fans at Rogers Centre when the team returns to Toronto starting on July 30. They haven’t played there since 2019.

The club will be the 1st ever to play home games in three different states/provinces in the same campaign. When the Jays return to Rogers Centre, it will have been 670 days since their last game there. The 670 days away marks the longest such stretch in MLB history, as the Marlins went 327 days in between from the end of the 2019 until their 2020 home opener.

Toronto is 15-15 in series opener this year. The Jays have scored at least 10 runs in 12 games, third-most in the majors.

It’s Ross Stripling on the mound. He was tagged for four runs over 3 2/3 innings in his last outing, a loss to Tampa Bay. Stripling served up three homers, including a pair to Brandon Lowe. He finished with five strikeouts and two walks. The 31-year-old righty has 4.34 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 78/23 K/BB ratio across 74 2/3 innings (15 appearances, 14 starts).

Stripling has faced Boston twice this year, going 0-1 with a 9.64 ERA (10 ER/9.1IP). Over 5 career meetings with the Red Sox, he owns a 2-2 record with a 5.32 ERA (14 ER/23.2 IP).