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Will the Toronto Blue Jays play any home games this season in Toronto? That remains to be seen, but they continue a homestand at their current home of Dunedin, Fla., on Thursday in closing out a series against the AL East-rival Boston Red Sox, who are underdogs on the MLB odds.

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

When: Thursday, 7:37 PM ET
Where: TD Ballpark, Dunedin, Fla.
Probable pitchers (away/home): Nick Pivetta/Steven Matz
TV: MLB Extra Innings
Stream/gameday audio: https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/

Why Bet on Boston? | MLB Betting Odds

The Red Sox feature 3 players with at least 9 HR, 25 RBI, and a .900 OPS; the rest of the AL has 4 players combined. The Red Sox lead the majors in OF assists (13). Sox outfielders rank 4^th in the majors with 9 defensive runs saved. Hunter Renfroe leads AL OF in assists (5; T-1st in MLB) and ranks 2nd in defensive runs saved (7; 3rd in MLB). Marwin Gonzalez ranks T-6th in the majors in outs above average (5).

Pitching-wise, the Red Sox are the only team yet to allow 3 HR in a game. This is only the 2nd time in the last 60 years they have allowed 2 HR or fewer in each of their first 44 games, having also done so in 1992 (first 47). The Sox have used only 6 starting pitchers, tied with 5 other teams for the fewest in MLB.

It’s right-hander Nick Pivetta (5-0, 3.16) on the mound. Pivetta yielded two runs in six-plus innings and struck out seven last Friday in a no-decision versus the Angels. Pivetta had a shutout going until Shohei Ohtani homered with two outs in the sixth. Pivetta rebounded to retire Mike Trout to finish the frame. Manager Alex Cora then brought him back out for the seventh, only to pull him after a leadoff single from Anthony Rendon. Rendon ended up coming around to score off Matt Andriese, making it a 2-2 game and taking Pivetta out of contention for a win.

Pivetta is tied for the AL lead in wins (5) and ranks among league leaders in opponent AVG (5th, .189), H/9.0 IP (5th, 5.91), and HR/9.0 IP (6th, 0.63). He leads Red Sox starting pitchers in ERA (3.16) and opponent AVG (.189). Pivetta has allowed two earned runs or fewer in six of his eight starts.

is 7-0 with a 2.91 ERA and .195 opponent AVG in 10 career starts with the Red Sox (52.2 IP, 17 ER, 36-for-185). He is the fourth pitcher to go unbeaten in their first 10 starts with Boston, joining Mike Nagy in 1969 (12 GS), Pedro Martinez in 1998 (10 GS), and Matt Clement in 2005 (12 GS).

Why Bet on Toronto? | MLB Betting Odds

When will the Jays get something from big-ticket offseason addition George Springer? The former World Series MVP has appeared in just four games this season for the Jays because of oblique and quad injuries. Springer has been taking batting practice with the Jays, but his running will be what determines his timeline as he returns from a right quad strain for the second time this season. Springer will need to build up to straight-line sprinting. Then, the final step is running the bases, which will test his quad with changes of direction at high speeds.

Toronto batters have scored an AL-best 6.14 runs/game at home, trailing only Cincinnati (6.67) for the MLB lead. The Jays have hit .273 at home this season (3^rd in the AL). The pitching staff has posted a 3.98 ERA during home contests (8th in the AL) to go with a 1.29 WHIP (8th) and .247 AVG (9th).

It’s lefty Steven Matz (5-2) here. Matz struck out nine in five scoreless innings last Friday against the Phillies. Matz needed 106 pitches, 14 more than he had thrown in a start this year, to get through five. The Toronto bullpen went on to give up five runs in the seventh. Matz has a 4.29 ERA and a 46/13 K/BB ratio through 42 innings in his eight starts.

Over Matz’s last three outings entering that Phillies game, he had posted a 9.22 ERA while opponents hit .371 against him. Matz insisted he was only a slight adjustment away, and on Friday, he found it.

“I want to hit the ground running now with this, and continue where I’m at with my stuff,” Matz said. “I still want to get deeper into that game and be more efficient with my pitches. Those guys over there got me deep into some counts, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction.”