Kevin Gausman will get the start for the Blue Jays (57-46, 27-20 home) as they host the Angels (54-49, 25-26 away) at Rogers Centre. The Angels will give the starting nod to Lucas Giolito. Check out my prediction for game one of this American League matchup between the Los Angeles Angels and Toronto Blue Jays.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS VS TORONTO BLUE JAYS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Los Angeles Angels +1.5 Runs

This game will be played at Rogers Centre at 7:07 ET on Friday, July 28th.

WHY BET THE LOS ANGELES ANGELS:

  • As the road favorite, the Angels’ runline win streak currently stands at two games.
  • The Blue Jays have struggled against the runline when favored of late, failing to cover in two straight times.
  • The Blue Jays have gone 0-3 in Kevin Gausman’s last five starts.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS SEEK TO IMPROVE THEIR ROAD RECORD

Winners of four straight games, the Angels are in 3rd place in the AL West. So far, they have a series win percentage of 50% (15-15-2). Los Angeles has gone 25-26 on the road this season compared to 29-23 at home.

Lucas Giolito is making his 22nd start of the season, boasting a 6-6 record. His ERA stands at 3.79, with opposing batters hitting .227 against him. On the road, Giolito has gone 3-4 with a 6.11 ERA, while at home he is 3-2 with an ERA of 2.52. Teams have mustered up a slugging percentage of .420 against him in 2021.

Lucas Giolito’s last outing for the Angels saw him pitch five innings, yielding no runs on six hits. Unfortunately, the team was unable to come away with a win, ultimately falling to the Twins 5-4. As a result, Giolito was left with a no-decision.

For the season, the Angels’ offense is averaging 5.1 runs per game. Over their last five games they have swung the bats well, sitting 5th in the league in scoring, with a total of 31 runs. Overall, Los Angeles’ team batting average is .257, putting them 7th in the MLB.

Mickey Moniak has been a consistent force in the Los Angeles lineup this season, boasting a .335 batting average and .615 slugging percentage. In the team’s last ten games, Moniak has been on fire, leading the Dodgers in hits with a .388 average.

WILL THE TORONTO BLUE JAYS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Toronto enters today’s matchup with an overall record of 57-46, placing them 3rd in the AL East. The club has played in 32 series so far, and has a record of 19-13, including dropping each of their past two sets. The Blue Jays are 27-20 at home and 30-26 and 27-20 at home.

Kevin Gausman will take the mound for Toronto with a 7-5 record. He has made 20 appearances this season, posting an ERA of 3.18 and a K/9 of 11.98. His FIP stands at 2.77, while his OBP is .271.

Kevin Gausman’s most recent outing ended in a 9-8 loss to the Mariners. In six innings, the Blue Jays’ right-hander surrendered five hits and four earned runs.

Across their last ten games, the Blue Jays’ offense is 5th in batting average, leading to an average of 4.7 runs per contest in that span. Overall, they are the 13th ranked scoring offense and posted a season-long OPS of .750 on 117 (14th).

Whit Merrifield has been on a tear for the Blue Jays in their last five games, leading the team with a .458 batting average. He has been a consistent presence at the plate this season, boasting an impressive .299 average and 46 RBIs.