The Toronto Blue Jays were able to earn a much-needed series win against the Miami Marlins this week and now they’ll need to carry that momentum into the weekend and take care of business against the lowly Oakland A’s.
The A’s — with their MLB-worst 19 wins — will be welcomed to Toronto by a former teammate as Chris Bassitt takes the ball for the Blue Jays on Friday night. Bassitt spent six years as a member of the A’s but will do his best to hand his former mates yet another loss. And he is a big favorite to do so, but is this too much chalk to back an inconsistent Jays lineup?
I break down the MLB odds and bring you my best bet, plus a same-game parlay in my best free MLB picks and predictions for A’s vs. Blue Jays.
A's vs Blue Jays odds
A's vs Blue Jays predictions
This is the second time this season Chris Bassitt will go against a former team after facing the New York Mets a few weeks ago. The previous one went very well, as he shut out the Mets on just four hits over 7 2/3 innings pitched while striking out eight on June 2.
Now, Bassitt is undeniably going through a bit of a rough patch. Three of his last five starts have been sub-par — to put it nicely — and his last two starts have lasted a combined 6 2/3 innings where he surrendered 11 earned runs on a whopping 18 hits.
But if you want to cut Bassitt a little slack, those starts came against two of the best lineups in the American League in the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. And both of those starts came on the road.
Tonight, he returns home at the Rogers Centre where he has allowed just two earned runs on nine hits over his last 24 innings pitched there. Those were in games against the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves. The A’s aren’t those teams.
Oakland ranks dead last in batting average and OPS vs. right-handed pitchers and 28th in wRC+. Unfortunately, there isn’t much value in fading the A’s in this matchup... unless you single someone out. Which is exactly what we’re going to do.
A’s catcher Shea Langeliers is having a tough first full season in the majors. Langeliers is hitting below the Mendoza line with a .199 average and .623 OPS through 65 games. And to make matters worse, the poor kid is in an ugly slump.
The 25-year-old has just three hits with 11 strikeouts in his last 36 plate appearances over his last 10 games. That’s good for a .088 batting average and a .232 OPS.
Langeliers has never faced Bassitt, and digging in for the first time against a guy with seven pitches in his arsenal can’t be easy. With the Jays also having an underrated bullpen that ranks second in MLB in xFIP and third in strikeouts per inning, it’s easy to see Langeliers having another 0-fer night at the plate. Take the Under on his hits prop at plus money.
My best bet: Shea Langeliers Under 0.5 hits (+130 at SIA)
A's vs Blue Jays same-game parlay
Shea Langeliers Under 0.5 hits (+130)
Ryan Noda Under 0.5 hits (+120)
Brandon Belt Over 0.5 hits (-180)
Hits and lack thereof will be the theme of tonight’s same-game parlay. Obviously, we are starting with Langeliers to go hitless in this matchup, but he’s not the only A’s player I’m backing to put a donut in the hit column tonight.
That’s because Langeliers isn’t the only Oakland player in a slump. I know you can make the case that the entire team has been in a slump this season but it’s been particularly rough for Ryan Noda of late.
The A’s first baseman has just three hits and a whopping 11 strikeouts in his last 28 plate appearances, good for a .115 batting average and a .409 OPS. So, Under 0.5 hits for Noda it is.
But it can’t be all doom and gloom. So, we close this SGP out with the Blue Jays' hottest hitter to get a knock. Shockingly, that title belongs to veteran Brandon Belt. Belt is hitting .320 with a .961 OPS since the start of May. And despite a hamstring injury that cost him about two weeks, he returned to the lineup Wednesday and immediately got a hit.
Tonight, he digs in against A’s right-hander James Kaprielian, who is giving up a .275 batting average and a .888 OPS to left-handed hitters this season. Add Belt to go Over 0.5 hits for a nice +650 payout.
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A's vs Blue Jays moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Blue Jays are massive favorites for this American League matchup rising as high as -330 at some sportsbooks. And it’s not all that surprising. The A’s have just 19 wins this season and their -210 run differential is 93 runs worse than the next closest team (the Kansas City Royals).
Despite Bassitt’s recent struggles, they have the edge on the mound. Kaprielian has been a little better than his ERA suggests, with a 4.76 expected ERA, but he doesn’t strike out a ton of guys, walks too many, and has a .421 expected slugging percentage against.
And even though he takes the mound against a Blue Jays team that has not lived up to expectations this season, they still rank fifth in batting average, ninth in OPS, and fourth in wRC+ when facing right-handed pitchers.
That said, the Jays' offense has been inconsistent, and they rank 25th in batting average with runners in scoring position. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is smashing balls into the ground with alarming frequency, and Bo Bichette’s thumb isn’t 100 percent. So, considering that it’s hard to get behind Toronto at a number this large.
That inconsistency does make me feel like the total of 9 is a touch too high. The Jays are plating just 3.6 runs per game this month and I like Bassitt to bounce back in what is a good matchup for him on a mound he likes. I'd have a slight lean to the Under here.
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Trend to know
The Under is 6-1 in the A's last seven overall and is 11-5-2 in the Blue Jays' last 18 home games with the total set at 9.0-10.5. Find more MLB betting trends for A's vs. Blue Jays
A's vs Blue Jays game info
| Location: | Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON |
| Date: | Friday, June 23, 2023 |
| First pitch: | 7:07 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NBCSCA, Sportsnet |
Starting pitchers
James Kaprielian (2-6, 6.38 ERA): Kaprielian has probably been a little better than he gets credit for. The right-hander has limited opponents to three earned runs or fewer in six of his last seven starts.
Chris Bassitt (7-5, 4.16 ERA): Bassitt will try to get back on track tonight. Prior to the last two starts he had a 12-start stretch where he pitched to a 2.40 ERA and limited opponents to a .173 batting average.
