New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays MLB Betting Guide

Posted by Eric Williams on Monday,April 11, 2016 1:58, EDT in

NHL Hockey News

The Toronto Blue Jays and New York Yankees will both look to record consecutive wins when they square off in Game 1 of a three-game set on Tuesday. New York has won three of its last four games including its 8-4 win over Detroit on Saturday while Toronto snapped a four-game losing streak by shutting out Boston 3-0 on Sunday. Now, let’s find out which one of these teams will get the win to bring home the bacon. Find out the updated MLB betting run lines here.

New York Yankees at Toronto Blue Jays MLB Betting Guide

When: Tuesday, April 12 – 7:07 PM EST
Where: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario
Line: N/A TOTAL: N/A
TV: YES, SNET

Probable Starters
New York: Masahiro Tanaka – R
Toronto: Aaron Sanchez – R

Why Bet the New York Yankees

The Yankees look like a good bet because they’ve got a solid starter on the mound and have been scoring runs like crazy lately. New York will turn to veteran right-hander and Opening Day starter, Masahiro Tanaka (0-0, 3.18 ERA) is this affair and that looks like a good thing seeing as how Tanaka limited Houston to two runs in 5.2 innings of a 5-3 loss against the Astros on Tuesday.

Tanaka has gone 5-2 with a 2.23 ERA in his career against Toronto. Tanaka has been especially overpowering against the Blue Jays when they pay north of the border. The right-hander has gone 2-0 with a 1.69 ERA at the Rogers Centre, including a complete-game victory on August 15 last season.

“I can’t go into details of what kind of approach, what kind of pitching I’m going to do against them, just because it will give them the idea,” Tanaka said about his game plan against Toronto. “Overall, I think they do have a very good lineup.”

Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez has hit 58 home runs against the Blue Jays in his career, third most against any opponent. The veteran slugger is also sitting on 99 career RBIs at Rogers Centre.

Why Bet the Toronto Blue Jays

The Jays look like a great bet because they’re playing at home and have a special hurler on the mound. The Blue Jays are coming off a solid 8-4 win over Boston on Sunday that helped them get back in the win column for the first time since winning their first two games of the season. More good news comes in the form of electrifying young starter Aaron Sanchez (0-0, 1.29 ERA).

The 23-year-old right-hander limited Tampa Bay to one run on five hits, eight strikeouts and no walks in seven innings. The Barstow, Calif., native made Toronto’s starting rotation after a strong spring training to beat out against veteran right-hander Gavin Floyd. Josh Donaldson is expected to be back at third base on Tuesday for the Blue Jays after starting as the Jays’ designated hitter in all three weekend games against the Red Sox.

Expert Prediction and Pick

The Blue Jays won 13 of 19 games against the Yankees in 2015 season and are my pick to get the win in their first meeting this season as I expect Aaron Sanchez to narrowly out-pitch Masahiro Tanaka in a contest that looks like a low-scoring affair just waiting to happen.

While New York is batting a robust .287 in the early going and Toronto is struggling by batting a collective .220, the Yankees are just 4-9 in their last 13 games and 2-6 in their last eight games against Toronto. New York is also just 1-5 in their last six road games and 1-7 in their last eight games against their AL East division rivals.

While the Yankees have had the better bullpen so far this season, Toronto’s starting rotation has the better ERA (4.15 vs. New York’s 6.41). The Blue Jays are 38-15 in their last 52 home games against a right-handed starter and a blistering 46-22 in their last 68 home games overall. Sure, the Jays are just 1-4 in their last five games against their AL East division rivals, but Toronto is also a near-perfect 4-1 in Aaron Sanchez’s last five home starts.