MLB Odds: Tribe Takes on Blue Jays in Toronto

Less than a week after an August 31 trade deadline that saw Josh Donaldson dealt to the Cleveland Indians for a player to be named later, the Jays welcome Donaldson’s new team to the Rogers Centre for the first of four games on Thursday. While the former MVP won’t make his debut for the Indians in Toronto, the rest of the Cleveland roster will be eager to pad their lead in the AL Central against a Toronto team that’s entered full rebuild.

Part of that rebuilding process means getting young pitchers work at the Major League level. The Jays will send 28-year-old Sam Gaviglio to the mound for his 20th start of the season. The righty has been less than stellar this year, posting a 5.02 ERA over 100.1 innings pitched. The second-year man will get a chance to improve upon those stats while facing the playoff-bound Indians.

At press time, Cleveland has a 15 game lead in the AL Central and are expected to feature prominently this October. Led by 3B José Ramirez (37 HRs, 96 RBI, .287 AVG), the Indians have further added to a potent offense by trading for Josh Donaldson. The rest of the season will be about finding chemistry and getting healthy for the Tribe.

MLB Odds: Bieber Takes Mound for Tribe

Shane Bieber is slated to get the start for the Cleveland Indians in the first of four games against the Toronto Blue Jays this Thursday (7:07 PM ET). Bieber has struggled of late, failing to get out of the sixth inning in each of his previous two starts. A game against the Blue Jays’ inconsistent offense will be a great opportunity for Bieber to regain his form heading into the postseason.


Toronto will counter with starter Sam Gaviglio, who has struggled in his own right this season. The righty is 3-5 on the year, but is hoping to secure a rotation spot in 2018-19 for the Jays. A strong performance against the explosive Indians would give the Jays’ management something to think about.