Angels Looking to Upton to Give Offense a Boost
The Toronto Blue Jays will play the second game of a four-game series in Toronto tonight when they host the Los Angeles Angels. Like the Jays, Los Angeles has struggled through the first part of the season. and now sit one game below .500 and 13 games behind the division-leading Houston Astros. Things are looking up for the Angels as they’ve begun to receive some much-needed offensive production and the return of Justin Upton. Shohei Ohtani missed the first couple of months of the 2019 season following Tommy John surgery. The Japanese sensation has returned as the team’s DH and is seeing his game round into form. Upton returned since being out since early march with the left big-toe sprain.
TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, FS West (Los Angeles), Sportsnet, Sportsnet One (Toronto); LINE: Angels -124; O/U: 9.5 -110.
PITCHING MATCHUP: Angels LH Tyler Skaggs (5-6, 5.00 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (4-8, 3.18)
The Japanese sensation has returned as the team’s DH and is seeing his game round into form. Following a sluggish May, Ohtani is hitting .321 with a 1.063 OPS in June. Ohtani’s production is much-needed as well as Upton’s. Upton wasted no time at all making an impact. He made his season debut Monday and homered in his first at-bat to help set the tone in the Angels’ 10-5 win in the series opener.
Kole Calhoun, Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout also homered for Los Angeles, which has won six of its last nine and has a chance Tuesday to get to .500 for the first time since mid-March. Cavan Biggio slugged a pair of home runs and drove in three to pace Toronto’s attack Monday night. The 24-year-old rookie is 8-for-19 with four home runs and seven RBIs during a five-game hitting streak. Outfielder Teoscar Hernandez sprained his wrist in the opener.
This, That, and a Dart Throw
The Angels‘ Skaggs allowed two runs in six innings to defeat Toronto on May 2. He’s since gone 2-4 with a 6.32 ERA in seven starts. He did manage a victory with five innings of three-run ball at Tampa Bay on Thursday. Skaggs is 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA in six career starts against the Blue Jays.
The Blue Jays‘ Stroman bounced back from a rocky start two turns ago. He limited Baltimore to one earned run in six innings Thursday. The former first-round pick was chased after a season-low 3 1/3 innings at Los Angeles on May 1. He gave up five runs. Trout is 8-for-16 with three doubles in his career against Stroman. Trout’s homer Monday night was his 20th, giving him eight straight seasons with at least that many. Ohtani is 11-for-25 with three homers and eight RBIs over a six-game stretch.
The Dart Throw: Angels 6, Blue Jays 4
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MLB Betting Odds & Trends
| Toronto Blue Jays |
|---|
| Toronto is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games |
| Toronto is 6-18 SU in its last 24 games |
| The total has gone OVER in 5 of Toronto’s last 6 games |
| Toronto is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home |
| Toronto is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home |
| The total has gone OVER in 10 of Toronto’s last 14 games at home |
| Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing LA Angels |
| Toronto is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against LA Angels |
| Toronto is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against LA Angels |
| Los Angeles Angels |
|---|
| LA Angels is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games |
| LA Angels is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games |
| LA Angels is 4-1 ATS in its last 5 games on the road |
| LA Angels is 8-4 SU in its last 12 games on the road |
| LA Angels is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto |
| LA Angels is 7-2 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Toronto |
| LA Angels is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Toronto |
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