PREMIUM
Rogers' *10* EARLY Afternoon ANNIHILATION >> 4-1 Saturday! 12-4 L4 Days!
(MLB) Minnesota vs. Toronto,
Money Line: -130.00 Toronto (Home)
Result: Loss
Money Line: -130.00 Toronto (Home)
Result: Loss
The set-up: The Blue Jays led the Twins 8-2 in Saturday's game but needed to hold on for a 10-9 win. Toronto is 61-68 on the season and while the Blue Jays are five games back of the final wild card spot in the AL, with SIX teams to 'climb over,' the team's playoff hopes are not exactly realistic. Holding on to that No. 2 wild card spot is the Minnesota Twins, who after losing for the seventh time in their last 21 games, sit at 66-63, a half-game up on the Angels and Mariners.
The pitching matchup: Kyle Gibson (7-10 & 5.76 ERA) gets the nod for Minnesota and Joe Biagini (3-8 & 5.11 ERA). Gibson had a season-high eight Ks in his last outing, a 4-1 victory over the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday. However, he had gone 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in his previous three starts (Twins were 1-2). Gibson is 1-1 with a 4.94 ERA in four career starts against Toronto (teams are 1-2). Biagini is being recalled from Triple-A to make his first start since July 2. He pitched strictly out of the bullpen after that ugly July 2 start and then was sent to the minors in early August. However, he returns after making four starts with Buffalo, going 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 17 1/3 innings. Biagini has not performed well for Toronto in 2017, going 2-7 with a 5.60 ERA in 11 starts with the Blue Jays this season (jays are 4-7) and in his last ML start, allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 15-1 loss to Boston on July 2. Biagini has not made a career start against teh Twins but allowed one run and three hits over two innings in a pair of relief appearances versus Minnesota last season.
The pick: It's hard to make a strong case for Toronto but the same can be said about Minnesota's Gibson. The 'kicker' is that when the Twins won 6-1 Friday night in Toronto, it ended a seven-game losing streak at Rogers Centre for Minnesota. The rubber match of the series goes this afternoon but looking at the record book we find the Twins have won just one series at Rogers Centre over the past 10 years (back in 2014 when they rook two out of three from the Blue Jays on June 9-11). Make Toronto a 10* play.
The pitching matchup: Kyle Gibson (7-10 & 5.76 ERA) gets the nod for Minnesota and Joe Biagini (3-8 & 5.11 ERA). Gibson had a season-high eight Ks in his last outing, a 4-1 victory over the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday. However, he had gone 0-2 with a 5.79 ERA in his previous three starts (Twins were 1-2). Gibson is 1-1 with a 4.94 ERA in four career starts against Toronto (teams are 1-2). Biagini is being recalled from Triple-A to make his first start since July 2. He pitched strictly out of the bullpen after that ugly July 2 start and then was sent to the minors in early August. However, he returns after making four starts with Buffalo, going 1-1 with a 3.12 ERA in 17 1/3 innings. Biagini has not performed well for Toronto in 2017, going 2-7 with a 5.60 ERA in 11 starts with the Blue Jays this season (jays are 4-7) and in his last ML start, allowed seven runs on 10 hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 15-1 loss to Boston on July 2. Biagini has not made a career start against teh Twins but allowed one run and three hits over two innings in a pair of relief appearances versus Minnesota last season.
The pick: It's hard to make a strong case for Toronto but the same can be said about Minnesota's Gibson. The 'kicker' is that when the Twins won 6-1 Friday night in Toronto, it ended a seven-game losing streak at Rogers Centre for Minnesota. The rubber match of the series goes this afternoon but looking at the record book we find the Twins have won just one series at Rogers Centre over the past 10 years (back in 2014 when they rook two out of three from the Blue Jays on June 9-11). Make Toronto a 10* play.
