MLB Odds: Jays Need Stronger Pitching in Beantown

It looked like the Toronto Blue Jays would vault back into the American League East race after getting all their injured players back in the lineup. Instead, their vaunted pitching staff has taken a tumble, and the Jays (42-48, –14.20 betting units) are fighting to stay out of the basement. They’ll visit the first-place Boston Red Sox Tuesday night at 7:10 PM ET on Sportsnet and NESN.


JA Happ (4.42 FIP) is one of those unlucky pitchers for the Blue Jays. They’re just 4-7 in his 11 starts for a loss of 4.48 units; Happ has played well since missing six weeks this spring with inflammation in his throwing elbow, but Toronto has spoiled that good work by dropping three of his last four appearances, despite Happ allowing only five earned runs in 23 innings.


The Red Sox were expected to send Doug Fister (5.91 FIP) to the mound Tuesday, but Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports that Fister will not make that start, after his services were required during Saturday’s bizarre 16-inning loss to the New York Yankees. Fister pitched 2.2 innings of relief and took the loss after giving up three runs in the final frame.



MLB Odds: Happ Looking for Help in Boston

JA Happ (4.42 FIP) has pitched reasonably well for the Toronto Blue Jays this year, but he hasn’t been getting much help; the Jays have lost three of Happ’s last four starts, and they’ll be in tough this Tuesday (7:10 PM ET, SNET) when they visit the first-place team in the American League East, the Boston Red Sox.

Happ’s most recent start was Toronto’s last game before the All-Star break, a disheartening 19-1 loss to the Houston Astros. Happ gave up two earned runs, but was tagged for the loss after the Jays (42-48, –14.20 betting units) committed three errors.