The Baltimore Orioles face the Toronto Blue Jays in an AL East clash at Oriole Park tonight. The Orioles will be looking to consolidate their lead at the top of the division when the two sides meet. Here we look ahead to the clash and tell you what to bet on with our latest MLB betting picks.
The rise of the Baltimore Orioles has been nothing short of astonishing in 2023.
Last season they finished fourth in the AL East with an 83-79 record. This wasn’t the worst when it came to sides finishing fourth in a division. But their win percentage of .512 didn’t suggest that Brandon Hyde was going to have the team performing as well as they have done this season.
The Orioles currently top the AL East with a win percentage of .621. And it’s thanks to this form the best MLB World Series betting sites have them at just +850 to win the 2023 World Series.
This means the top-rated MLB betting sites are stating that only four franchises have a better chance of winning the 2023 World Series. And they are the Atlanta Braves (+310), the LA Dodgers (+450), the Houston Astros (+750), and the Texas Rangers (+850).
In the betting to win the AL East, the Orioles are the -375 favorites, with the Tampa Bay Rays at +250. While in the betting to win the American League, Brandon Hyde’s team is +375. This puts them at the same odds as the Tampa Bay Rays, and just behind the Astros and the Rangers, who are both +350.
In the latest match betting the two sides are a lot closer than you might expect on the money line. The best MLB sportsbooks make the Orioles the favorites at -118. The Blue Jays are +108.
On the handicap spread it’s the Blue Jays getting the 1.5-point advantage. With the points advantage, the Blue Jays are -190. The Orioles are +165 to win and cover the 1.5-point spread.
In the total points market, over 8.5 is -115, and under 8.5 is -105.
You can read more information about the sites we’ve taken our odds from at our best online sportsbook reviews page.
Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays Betting Odds | |||
---|---|---|---|
Orioles | -118 | -118 | -118 |
Blue Jays | +108 | +108 | +108 |
Handicap Line | |||
Orioles (-1.5) | +165 | +165 | +165 |
Blue Jays (+1.5) | -190 | -190 | -190 |
The mark of a very good side is how they react when things go wrong. The Orioles recently lost a mini-series 2-1 away to the San Diego Padres. The Orioles won the first match 4-1 but then lost the second match 10-3 and the third match 5-2.
But the Orioles didn’t dwell on that loss for too long. They immediately bounced back from their mini-series loss to the Padres with a spectacular series sweep over the Athletics last weekend.
The series win saw them reestablish themselves as the top dogs in the AL East, where they now hold a three-win lead over the Tampa Bay Rays, who sit in second place.
The Toronto Blue Jays are having a bit of a mixed season. They currently sit third in the AL East with a win percentage of .552. This puts them a full 8.5 wins behind the Orioles.
In their last ten matches, they are 5-5, and they have just come from behind to win a mini-series on the road at the Cincinnati Reds. They won the deciding match 10-3 on Sunday.
Before the mini-series win over the Cincinnati Reds, the Blue Jays managed a 2-1 series win over the Philadelphia Phillies. That was in Toronto.
This shows why the money line odds are a bit closer than we might have expected, as the Blue Jays are now running into a bit of form.
Onto our picks to win the match, and for this, we need to look a bit closer at the home form of the Orioles, and the road form of the Blue Jays.
At Orioles Park, Brandon Hyde’s team is 36-23. This gives them a home win percentage of .610. The Orioles’ overall win percentage is .621.
As for the Blue Jays, they have an overall win percentage of .552, and a road trip win percentage of .560. At home Toronto are .542, meaning there’s not much difference between their home and away form.
In all honesty, this doesn’t give us an obvious angle to select a winning pick. But if we throw the form of the last ten matches into the mix, the Orioles are 7-3, and the Blue Jays are 5-5, and this does give us some clear daylight between the two sides.
With the Orioles at home, it must count for something. In their last nine at home, the Orioles are 6-3, and at the beginning of the month, Baltimore also won a mini-series 3-1 against the Blue Jays.
Included in that series was a 13-3 win and a 6-1 win for the Orioles. We feel that gives Baltimore the edge, so we’re picking the Orioles to win and cover and spread.
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