The Blue Jays (67-56, 35-29 away) and Reds (64-59, 31-32 home) square off in two of this interleague series. Brandon Williamson will take the mound for the Reds against Chris Bassitt for the Blue Jays. See who I like to come out on top in this Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cincinnati Reds showdown in Cincinnati.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS VS CINCINNATI REDS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cincinnati Reds +122

This game will be played at Great American Ball Park at 6:40 ET on Saturday, August 19th.

WHY BET THE CINCINNATI REDS:

  • In their ten most recent games as the favorite, the Blue Jays have gone just 4-6 straight-up.
  • The Reds are on a two game winning streak as the home underdog.
  • Across Brandon Williamson’s 16 starts, the Reds have put together a record of 10-6.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS TRYING TO CLOSE GAP IN AL EAST

Through 123 games, the Blue Jays have a record of 67-56. This mark includes going 22-15-2 across their 39 series. Currently, Toronto is 3rd in the AL East and have a 32-27 record at home while going 35-29 on the road. So far, the Blue Jays have gone 35-40 against teams with above .500 records.

Heading into today’s matchup, Toronto’s Chris Bassitt has been on a roll, throwing at least six innings in three consecutive games. His ERA is 3.95 and his record stands at 11-6 for the season. He has tallied 137 strikeouts so far and opponents have a .403 slugging percentage against him. Additionally, Bassitt’s WHIP is 1.24 and WOBA allowed is .312.

Most recently, Chris Bassitt took the mound for the Blue Jays against the Cubs, but his outing ended in a 5-4 loss. The right-hander went six innings and gave up four hits and four earned runs.

With a season-long average of 4.4 runs per game, the Blue Jays are the 13th ranked scoring offense this season. As a team, they are batting .258, with an OBP of .329. In Toronto’s last ten games, they are 12th in home runs, having gone deep six times in that span.

The Blue Jays will be without their season leader in hits, Bo Bichette, for today’s game. The talented shortstop has been a key contributor to the team’s offensive success this year, boasting a .321 batting average and an impressive .352 on-base percentage.

WILL THE CINCINNATI REDS TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS AT HOME?

Cincinnati head into today’s game seeking their 3rd straight win and are in 2nd place in the NL Central. On the road, Cincinnati is 33-27 and 31-32 at home. With an overall record of 64-59, the Reds have a series win percentage of 53% (18-16-5).

Brandon Williamson has a 4-2 record and is slated to start for the Cincinnati Reds. He’s made 16 appearances this season, with an ERA of 4.33 and a K/9 rate of 7.78. His FIP is 4.80 and his OBP is .294.

Brandon Williamson’s last start against the Pirates ended in a no-decision, as he gave up one run on two hits in 5 2/3 innings. Unfortunately, the Reds were unable to capitalize on his performance, falling 4-2.

During their last five games, Cincinnati is the 18th ranked offense in terms of batting average. In these games, they have hit a combined .231 and are averaging 3.2 runs per game. Across the entire season, the Reds are hitting .250 with an OBP of .327 while averaging 4.8 runs per contest. This figure puts them 8th in the league.

The Reds have seen Matt McLain shine over the past five contests, as he has hit one home run to lead the team. During the season, McLain has tallied 13 long balls and boasts a .301 batting average.