Blue Jays vs Mariners Odds, Betting Lines, and Probable Pitchers (August 14)
- The Toronto Blue Jays are -160 away favorites over the Seattle Mariners in their American League game on Saturday, August 14
- Toronto and Seattle are both contenders for an AL Wild Card playoff position
- The Mariners have won seven of the last nine games from the Blue Jays – see who we like below
Two teams striving to become more serious players in the American League Wild Card race clash in Seattle on Saturday as the Toronto Blue Jays (62-53, 31-29 away) visit the Seattle Mariners (62-55, 36-24).
These teams joined the AL together as expansion franchises in 1977. Currently, the Jays and Mariners both find themselves situated on the cusp of the AL postseason chase. Toronto sits fourth in the AL East, while Seattle is situated third in the AL West.
The Blue Jays are the -160 road favorites to capture Saturday’s game. This despite the fact that the Mariners have taken seven of nine from Toronto. Seattle has won an MLB-high 24 games as a home underdog this season (24-14-0).
Blue Jays vs Mariners Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Runline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto Blue Jays | -160 | -1.5 (+100) | O 8.5 (-115) |
| Seattle Mariners | +140 | +1.5 (-120) | U 8.5 (-105) |
Odds as of August 14th at DraftKings.
Saturday’s first pitch at T-Mobile Park is set for 10:10pm ET. The forecast is calling for cloudy skies, 5 mph wind and 90-degree temperatures.
Ryu vs Kikuchi
| 11-5 | Record | 7-6 |
| 3.62 | ERA | 3.73 |
| 4.15 | xERA | 4.46 |
| 1.18 | WHIP | 1.18 |
| 3.96 | SO/W Ratio | 3.14 |
It’s a battle of Asian ace hurlers as South Korea’s Ryu goes for the Blue Jays against Japan’s Kikuchi for the Mariners. Third in AL Cy Young Award voting last year, Ryu is finding that form once again.
The left-hander is 4-0 in his last four decisions. As a team, the Blue Jays are 6-1 in Ryu’s last seven starts. However, that one loss was a 7-2 setback to Kikuchi and the Mariners on July 1. Although Ryu didn’t figure in the decision, Kikcuhi allowed one run over seven innings to secure the win.
https://twitter.com/StichWynston/status/1426015096250241024?s=20
Ryu is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA in his career against the Mariners. Seattle batters are hitting a torrid .353 against him. This will be his first career pitching assignment at T-Mobile Park.
Kikuchi is 2-0 with a sterling 0.56 ERA in his career against the Blue Jays. He’s beaten Toronto at the Rogers Centre and at Buffalo’s Sahlen Field. This will be his first time facing the Jays in Seattle.
Yusei Kikuchi, Mechanics (front view/slow) pic.twitter.com/Ajq6rAsepm
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 8, 2021
Kikuchi lost three in a row following his win over Toronto. He ended that slump with a 4-2 verdict over the Tampa Bay Rays. Kikuchi has allowed just one earned run over his past 11 innings on the mound.
Batting Average vs Starting Pitchers
| Mariners Batters | Batting Average vs Ryu | Blue Jays Batters | Batting Average vs Kikuchi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Bauers | .000 | Bo Bichette | .143 |
| JP Crawford | .500 | Corey Dickerson | .000 |
| Jake Fraley | 1.000 | Santiago Espinal | .000 |
| Ty France | .000 | Randal Grichuk | .167 |
| Mitch Haniger | .667 | Vladimir Guerrero Jr | .000 |
| Jarred Kelenic | .000 | Lourdes Gurriel Jr | .000 |
| Dylan Moore | .000 | Teoscar Hernandez | .167 |
| Tom Murphy | .000 | Alejandro Kirk | .000 |
| Cal Raleigh | .000 | Reese McGuire | .000 |
| Kyle Seager | .333 | Marcus Semien | .286 |
| Abraham Toro | .000 | George Springer | .500 |
| Luis Torrens | .000 | Beyvic Valera | .000 |
Mariners outfielder Jake Fraley is 2-for-2 against Ryu with a solo home run. Rightfielder Mitch Haniger is 2-for-3 (.667). Shortstop JP Crawford is 1-for-2 (.500). Third baseman Kyle Seager is 1-for-3 (.333) with an RBI.
Jake Fraley spit on so many low-and-away pitches from Hyun-Jin Ryu then finally gets on more middle and he absolutely crushed it for his sixth homer of the season.
That's the first long ball Ryu has surrendered against a lefty this season. pic.twitter.com/qDKflFeMl0
— Daniel Kramer (@DKramer_) July 1, 2021
As for the Blue Jays, for the most part they’ve struggled in brief meetings with Kikuchi. Outfielder George Springer is 7-for-14 with an RBI. Second baseman Marcus Semien is 6-for-21 with a home run and 3 RBI.
Blue Jays vs Mariners Pick
Seattle’s 36 home wins are tied for the third-most among AL clubs. The Mariners have taken three of four from the Blue Jays this season, scoring 22 runs in the process.
Toronto, though, has captured six of the past nine games played between the two teams in Seattle. The Blue Jays are a solid 16-9 as a road favorite this season. The Mariners are 1-5 in their last six games when facing a left-handed starter.
Jarred Kelenic Takes the 4 pitch walk from Brad Hand with the bases loaded to literally walk it off in the Bottom of the 9th for the Mariners over the Blue Jays pic.twitter.com/mrzal2CQQW
— MLB Clutch Moments And Walk Offs (@MLBWalk_Offs) August 14, 2021
In his last start, Ryu took a step backward. He was smacked around for seven runs and 10 hits in just 3.2 innings of work against the Boston Red Sox.
Toronto leads the majors in slugging (.457) and OPS (.785). The Jays lead the AL with 173 home runs.
Kikuchi has handcuffed the Blue Jays throughout his career. He’s held Toronto hitters to a collective .135 batting average and .167 on-base percentage. The Mariners righty shows a 7.00 strikeouts/walks ratio and an 0.56 WHIP.
Pick: Seattle Mariners (+140).
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
