Toronto Trying To Keep Hot On Road vs Arizona
Blue Jays vs D’Backs Betting Odds Favor Host Team

A pair of teams trying to head into the All-Star break with some positive momentum square off when the Arizona Diamondbacks host the Toronto Blue Jays for a three-game series beginning on Friday. Both teams come in on winning streaks and would like to improve their MLB records heading into the second half of the season. Let’s take a look at the Blue Jays vs D’Backs betting analysis.
Toronto (43-50) is in last place in the AL East, sitting three games behind the fourth-place Tampa Bay Rays, and it is 8.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot in the American League. The Blue Jays have won two in a row and four of their last five heading into this series.
Diamondbacks Look to Climb NL West Standings in Series Against Blue Jays
Arizona has also won two straight, splitting a four-game series at home with the Atlanta Braves this week. The Diamondbacks (47-47) are in third place in the NL West standings, just one game behind the second-place San Diego Padres. That’s also the margin between Arizona and the last spot in the NL Wild Card race, currently held by the New York Mets, who are percentage points ahead of the Padres.
- The odds for Blue Jays vs D’Backs betting on the series opener favor the home team, with Arizona listed at -125 on the moneyline. Toronto is +105 to pick up the straight-up win on Friday.
- If your preferred MLB betting lines include the run line, you can get the Blue Jays at -185 when they’re getting 1.5 runs, while the Diamondbacks are +155 when giving those runs. The over/under for this contest is set at nine runs, with -112 shaded to the over.
The series opener is set for a 9:40 p.m. ET first pitch, followed by a 10:10 p.m. ET contest on Saturday night. The finale will be played at 4:10 p.m. ET on Sunday, with all contests happening at Chase Field in Phoenix.
Blue Jays vs D’Backs Betting: Pitching Matchups
âš¾ Game 1: Yariel Rodriguez (Toronto) vs Ryne Nelson (Arizona)
Toronto will have right-handed rookie Yariel Rodriguez making his eighth start of the season in Friday’s contest. Rodriguez is 1-3 with a 3.68 ERA, striking out 29 in 29.1 innings of work. He’s coming off possibly his best major league start, throwing six shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners last Saturday, allowing just one hit while striking out six and walking two.
Righty Ryne Nelson will be on the mound for the Diamondbacks in the series opener. Nelson is 6-6 with a 5.08 ERA in 14 starts and 16 overall appearances this season. He had a solid outing in his last game, going 6.2 innings against the San Diego Padres last Sunday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out five and walking one. It was his second straight start of at least five innings and allowing one or fewer runs.
âš¾ Game 2: Jose Berrios (Toronto) vs Yilber Diaz (Arizona)
Veteran Jose Berrios will get the call for the Blue Jays for Saturday’s start. The 30-year-old righty is 8-6 with a 3.76 ERA this season, striking out 87 in 115 innings over 19 starts. He’s struggled a bit of late, allowing at least four runs in four of his last five starts, yet has gone 3-1 over that span. He took a no-decision in his start against Seattle on Sunday, going six innings and allowing four runs on seven hits, including two home runs, while striking out 10 and walking one.
Rookie right-hander Yilber Diaz will make his second major league start in Saturday’s game for the Diamondbacks. The 23-year-old made his MLB debut on Monday against the Braves, going six innings and allowing one run on four hits while striking out five and walking one.
âš¾ Game 3: Yusei Kikuchi (Toronto) vs Zac Gallen (Arizona)
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi is slated to start the series finale for Toronto. Kikuchi is 4-8 with a 4.00 ERA, striking out 111 in 101.1 innings over 19 starts. Kikuchi had 13 strikeouts in 7.1 innings against the Giants on Tuesday, allowing two runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs, in taking a no-decision.
The Diamondbacks will turn to righty Zac Gallen to get the last start of the first half of the season. Gallen holds a 6-5 record with a 3.33 ERA and has recorded 75 strikeouts in 73 innings. He’s struggled a bit of late, allowing eight runs (seven earned) over 9.1 combined innings in his two starts in July. Those came right after he had six shutout innings in his last start of June, which was his return from a month on the injured list with a hamstring injury.
Diamondbacks Have Edge At The Plate
If either of these teams is going to have a spot in the MLB playoff bracket, they need to do it with their offense. Arizona has the better shot at the postseason thanks to that, ranking sixth in baseball with 458 runs entering the weekend. In contrast, Toronto is 24th in the majors with 377 runs.
The Blue Jays are 4-1 over their last five, however, thanks in part to averaging 5.6 runs in that span. Third baseman Ernie Clement has been swinging a hot bat over the last few games, coming into this series on a four-game hitting streak. Clement was big in the series win over the Giants, going 5-for-11 with two home runs, seven RBI and three runs scored. On the season, Clement is batting .263 with 10 doubles, a triple, six home runs, 21 RBI and 22 runs scored.Â
The third baseman for the Diamondbacks, Eugenio Suarez, has also been heating up at the plate recently. Suarez accounted for the lone run in Thursday’s 1-0 win over Atlanta with a solo homer, giving him a round-tripper in two straight games and three of his last five. Suarez is batting .210 in 2024, with 14 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 44 RBI and 35 runs scored.
Blue Jays Eke Out Tight Series Win
Your Blue Jays vs D’Backs betting is going to have to rely on which team you think will stay hotter at the plate. Based on recent results, we like Toronto, which has been putting runs on the board and has got some solid pitching from its staff.
Arizona won’t make it easy, especially playing at home, but the Blue Jays have a lot of confidence from the first two series of their current road trip, and that’s going to translate into more wins. When doing your MLB betting on this series, put your wagers on Toronto.
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