While the Toronto Blue Jays won their series relatively easily, the Seattle Mariners needed 15 innings in Game 5 of the American League Division Series (ALDS) to survive and advance.
Ultimately, the Blue Jays will be much healthier heading into Game 1 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS). I’m not talking about injuries; I’m specifically talking about the fact that Seattle was forced to use seven pitchers in Friday’s win, including George Kirby, Logan Gilbert and Luis Castillo, to earn that victory.
That said, they’ll use Bryce Miller as tonight’s starter. It’ll be interesting to see how long he can go and if any of the relievers show fatigue against the Blue Jays on the road tonight.
Below, I’ll add my favorite MLB picks & predictions for tonight’s ALCS Game 1 matchup between the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays.
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Sunday’s Best MLB Picks & Predictions
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Seattle Mariners at Toronto Blue Jays
Over the last 30 days, Bryce Miller has had his struggles. The right-hander has allowed a .187 ISO and wOBA of .353 to his previous 81 batters. He’s also given up a .265 ISO and wOBA of .393 to his last 37 lefties. Toronto should have five lefties in the lineup, including Addison Barger, who has launched a .204 ISO and wOBA of .328 against his last 54 righties.
While the lefties in the lineup haven’t been super consistent against righties, there’s reason to believe. After all, Miller has struck out only 10.8% of lefties and 14.8% of batters overall in the last month. He’s also given up nearly 58% of hard contact and really isn’t earning a high rate of whiffs. Toronto will most likely put the ball in play and enjoy some success against Miller and the rest of the bullpen.
On the other hand, Kevin Gausman will start for the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays’ right-hander has a 1.59 ERA after one start in the postseason. He’s allowed a .105 ISO over the last month and has earned 28.6% of whiffs - a completely different outlook than Miller.
In addition, Gausman has limited walks to 7.5% over the last 30 days and will face a Seattle lineup that has walked only 6.8% of the time against righties in the previous month. The Mariners have also struck out nearly 25% of the time against righties with this lineup. Gausman’s strikeout rate is much higher than Miller’s.
That said, consider the Toronto Blue Jays at home on the Moneyline.
Pick: Blue Jays Moneyline (-174)
