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Los Angeles Dodgers vs Toronto Blue Jays Preview
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays started the season strongly, but they face each other at the Rogers Centre on Friday. The first inning is at 7:07 PM ET, with Toronto hosting the contest. Both sides have positive records, and the Blue Jays dominate in front of their home support while the Dodgers have struggled on the road.
Toronto has six wins and three losses at the Rogers Centre, with a 12-10 record across all major league games. In their latest series, the Blue Jays won two out of three contests against the San Diego Padres, losing the last contest by a three-point margin. Los Angeles has just four wins and three losses on the road, but can the Dodgers dent the Blue Jays’ dominant home record on Friday?
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Toronto Blue Jays Head-to-Head and Key Stats
The latest series between the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers was one of the most entertaining of 2023. Every game had plenty of runs, but the Blue Jays won two of the three contests. Toronto had a dominant showing previously, effortlessly scoring runs against the Dodgers.
Los Angeles hosted their most recent meeting, but their home support didn’t help. The Blue Jays proved to be the superior team, scoring their first run in the second period. The Dodgers’ fielders caught Whit Merrifield’s hit, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got home for Toronto’s opening run. After a base hit in the third by Cavan Biggio, he scored via Brandon Belt’s single. The fourth inning had no runs scored, but the fifth gave the Blue Jays a commanding lead. Toronto took a 5-0 lead after Merrifield fired into the stands with Bichette and Guerrero Jr. on base.
Danny Jansen homered in the sixth inning, extending Toronto’s lead to 6-0. However, the Dodgers finally got on the board at the bottom of the inning. Chris Taylor ran home after James Outman singled to left field, reducing the margin to five runs. But Los Angeles didn’t make a comeback, with Bo Bichette getting two RBIs in the eighth inning. Toronto sealed the series with an 8-1 win on the road.
The second game of their series was thrilling. Both sides scored plenty of runs, with 15 after ten innings. The contest was entertaining from the start, with a run for either side in the opener. However, the Blue Jays took control of the game in the third inning. With Kevin Kiermaier standing on base, Bo Bichette got the contest’s second homer, scoring two runs for Toronto. Freddie Freeman got home in the bottom of the third, getting LA within one.
The game went quiet until the eighth inning. Matt Chapman scored for Toronto, and J.D. Martinez homered for the Dodgers. In the ninth, Danny Jansen stepped up to bat with the bases loaded. Jansen got a double, collecting three RBIs after Chapman, George Springer, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ran home. But Los Angeles tied the game at the bottom of the ninth, with Miguel Rojas, Mookie Betts, and Will Smith scoring. The score was 7-7 heading into the tenth inning, but Chris Taylor scored the last run, giving the Dodgers an 8-7 win at home.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are one of the best teams in the MLB National League West, with 13 wins and 11 losses. Los Angeles’ biggest strength is their ability to score runs, with 124 in 24 games. One of the Toronto Blue Jays’ weaknesses is scoring, with just 86 runs in 22 contests. Despite this, Toronto has given up fewer runs than the Dodgers, with the Blue Jays allowing 99, 10 less than Los Angeles.
Mookie Betts is an integral part of the Dodgers’ batting threat. Betts is one of Los Angeles’ leading batters, with 19 RBIs, six homers, and a batting average of .355. Despite lacking runs, Justin Turner continues to be a standout hitter for Toronto. Turner has only two home runs but averages .308 at bat. The third baseman leads the way for RBIs in Toronto, with 11 in 20 games.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Toronto Blue Jays Predictions
Correct Score Prediction: Toronto Blue Jays to win 6-4 over the Los Angeles Dodgers
The Toronto Blue Jays host the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season. Both teams have started well, but the Blue Jays will be confident in another home victory. The Dodgers will be the betting favorites, but we predict Toronto will win. We expect the contest will be close, with just a two-point margin splitting the sides.
In their latest series, every game between the Dodgers and Blue Jays had at least nine runs. Of course, this doesn’t guarantee a high-scoring contest this week, but we predict over 9.5 runs on Friday. The Blue Jays haven’t scored over six runs in their last 14 games. The last time Toronto scored over six runs was against the New York Yankees on April 7th. We forecast Toronto to score under 6.5 runs against LA, and our correct score prediction is a Blue Jays 6-4 win over the Dodgers.
Toronto played the San Diego Padres in their most recent series. Across the three games, the Blue Jays scored four runs in the opening inning. In the Dodgers’ latest series against the New York Mets, they scored only one run in the opener. We anticipate a slow start to Friday’s game, with zero runs in the opening two innings. However, we expect the sixth inning to have the most runs. Our sportsbook lets you wager on the total runs in the first inning when betting on the MLB. Given Los Angeles’ lack of first-inning runs, betting on a scoreless opener is a brilliant choice.
Even though we expect a slow start, we still expect the teams to score over 9.5 runs in the game. With many runs forecasted, we need a couple of home runs for our correct score prediction to land. Daulton Varsho has the most homers on the Toronto roster, making him an excellent bet on Friday. Shohei Ohtani has five homers in 24 games, and we believe he’ll get a home run against the Blue Jays. Novibet lets you bet on home run hitters pre-game and in-play when betting on baseball.
Blue Jays' Alek Manoah allows two runs over 5.2 innings in latest triple-A start https://t.co/PVIgPuqJPY
— R DoubleU (@BWelch1943) April 21, 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Toronto Blue Jays Betting Picks
We expect the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Toronto Blue Jays game to be high-scoring, presenting plenty of betting opportunities. Our sportsbook will favor the Dodgers on Friday, but we are against the favorites this week. Our moneyline pick is the Blue Jays to win. But if you don’t want to place a wager before the game, you can take advantage of our live betting features once the action begins.
Player props are an amazing way to get involved with baseball betting, letting you wager on various player actions in each game. We’re focusing on the run market this week. Teoscar Hernandez is one of the Dodgers’ leading scorers this season, getting 19 runs. Betting on Hernandez to score over 0.5 runs against the Blue Jays is a fantastic selection. Toronto’s left fielder Davis Schneider is another great pick when betting on the game. Schneider has ten runs for the Blue Jays in 17 games, and we predict he’ll add to his tally.
If you’re a new Novibet customer, we have an excellent way to wager on the winning margin market. New customers can receive a welcome bonus upon signing up, meaning you can bet on Toronto to win by two runs without risking your deposited funds. The winning margin market usually offers large returns, so it’s best to use the bonus because of the increased risks. Another way to capitalize on the number of runs is by betting on which team will have the highest-scoring inning. We predict Toronto will score six runs against the Dodgers, so betting on the Blue Jays to have the highest-scoring inning is our pick.
Our baseball betting picks are based on the Blue Jays winning. However, if you’re a Los Angeles Dodgers fan, you can still wager on your team this week. Using the spread lets you add runs to LA’s total score. This means betting on Los Angeles +2.5 returns a winning wager if our correct score prediction is accurate. Toronto fans can increase their profits by removing points from their tally, increasing the risk. Wagering on the Blue Jays -1.5 lands if Toronto wins by 2 or more runs.
Our first look at Dodgers reliever Connor Brogdon. pic.twitter.com/GXXGjVLu1I
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) April 7, 2024
Los Angeles Dodgers Team News
The Los Angeles Dodgers could have four players absent for the Toronto Blue Jays game. Walker Buehler hasn’t played in the major leagues since 2022, and won’t be involved in the Blue Jays contest. Los Angeles expects Jason Heyward to miss the game on Friday. Relief pitcher Connor Brogdon has played only once for the Dodgers, but Brogdon should be available this week. The Philadelphia Phillies traded Brogdon to LA this month, in exchange for minor-league pitcher Benony Robles.
Toronto Blue Jays Team News
The Toronto Blue Jays expect five injured players to return this week. Brandon Barriera, Adrian Pinto, and Cade Doughty should recover before the Los Angeles Dodgers contest. Starting pitcher Alek Manoah is nearing a return, with the Blue Jays medical team expecting Manoah to be ready on Tuesday. T.J. Brock might miss the Dodgers game. The Blue Jays expect the second baseman to recover two days before the contest, but there is no guarantee that Brock will play on Friday.
