The Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks continue their series at Rogers Centre this afternoon with the hosts looking to keep their hot streak alive following the All-Star break.
Toronto is 6-1 over its last seven games but will have to go through Arizona ace Zac Gallen to pick up a second straight win over the Diamondbacks.
Will Toronto stay hot or will Gallen get the better of the Jays bats? Find out in our Diamondbacks vs. Blue Jays MLB picks and predictions for Saturday, July 15.
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays odds
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays predictions
Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. continued where he left off following his victory at the Home Run Derby, hitting a bomb in his first at-bat of Friday’s game en route to a 7-2 win. Matt Chapman added three hits and an RBI while Whit Merrifield drove in two runs.
The Jays will face significant resistance this afternoon, though, with Zac Gallen taking the mound for the Diamondbacks. The right-hander co-leads the MLB in wins (11) while ranking within the top 15 among starters in both ERA (3.04) and WHIP (1.05).
Gallen has held opponents to just one earned run in three of his last five starts and two earned runs or fewer in six of his last nine outings. He’s also picked up four wins in his last five appearances while carrying an impressive 2.91 ERA in those ballgames.
Meanwhile, Blue Jays starter Chris Bassitt has surrendered at least three earned runs in five of his last six outings while posting a whopping 6.83 ERA over that span.
A sluggish Toronto offense has picked up the pace a bit of late, averaging 5.43 runs per game during the club’s current 6-1 run, but I don’t foresee the Jays bats having a ton of success against Gallen — or Bassitt outpitching the Diamondbacks ace.
My best bet: Arizona first-five moneyline (+100 at SIA)
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays same-game parlay
Gallen 5+ strikeouts (-260)
Blue Jays Under 4.5 runs (-140)
Carroll to record hit (-225)
Gallen will headline our same-game parlay as we’ll look for the All-Star to record at least five strikeouts and help his club hold the Blue Jays to Under 4.5 runs.
The Diamondbacks starter has posted 125 punchouts over 118.1 innings this season while striking out at least five batters in six of his last eight starts, so he should be a safe bet to reach five Ks today.
In terms of Toronto’s offensive output, the Blue Jays rank tied for 14th in the MLB with 4.53 runs per game this season and I don’t imagine they’ll top their average against one of the better pitchers in the majors.
Finally, we’ll bank on Corbin Carroll to record a hit to round out the same-game parlay. The All-Star leads the club with a .292 average and knocked two hits in the series opener on Friday.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays moneyline and Over/Under analysis
The Blue Jays opened as the home favorite today at -150 on the moneyline but settled closer to -130 at most books by Saturday morning. The Diamondbacks are hovering around +110 and I do like them as the road dog in this matchup.
The clubs don’t have a ton of recent history as this series is their first head-to-head meeting since 2019. That said, I think Gallen alone gives the Diamondbacks a significant edge over the Blue Jays, who will be sending Bassitt to the mound after scheduled starter Kevin Gausman was scratched. Bassitt has been rocked early and often in most of his recent outings, so unless the Jays bats can get the better of Gallen, it’s difficult to see the Blue Jays coming out on top.
Today’s total opened at 7.5 runs but has jumped as high as 8.5 at some books. At 8.5 runs, I’ll give the Under the edge in this one as I’m expecting a strong start from Gallen and a lower-scoring effort from the Jays. The Diamondbacks have also averaged just 2.78 runs per game over their last nine outings so we may not see a ton of runs in this one.
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Trend to know
The Under is 9-3 in Arizona’s last 12 games. Find more MLB betting trends for Diamondbacks vs. Blue Jays
Diamondbacks vs Blue Jays game info
| Location: | Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON |
| Date: | Saturday, July 15, 2023 |
| First pitch: | 3:07 p.m. ET |
| TV: | BSAZ, Sportsnet |
Starting pitchers
Zac Gallen (11-3, 3.04 ERA): Gallen was excellent once again in his last start on July 7, holding the Pirates to four hits and one earned run over seven innings while striking out five. The right-hander has pitched at least seven innings in four of his last five appearances, going 4-1 over that span.
Chris Bassitt (8-5, 4.19 ERA): Bassitt lasted just four innings last time out as he was rocked for nine hits and three earned runs by the Tigers on July 9. He’s pitched through the sixth inning just twice over his last six starts while being pulled before the fifth inning on three occasions during that stretch.
