The Toronto Blue Jays and the Boston Red Sox will be at Fenway Park this weekend for an extended four-game series that is sure to have an impact on a very tight A.L. East race. Game 1 is set for Thursday night with a 7:10 p.m. (EST) start and it will be available on MLB Extra Innings.

Boston hammered Colorado 11-4 on Tuesday night as a -185 home favorite and will host the Rockies one more time before welcoming Toronto to town. The Red Sox are now 46-33 overall and 24-15 at home. The total has gone ‘over’ in their last four games.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Betting Storylines

Bouncing back from a very disappointing start, this recent 11-game winning streak has pumped new life into a Toronto team that began the season as the odds-on-favorite to win the AL East. It still has quite a bit of ground to make up, but all four teams ahead of the Blue Jays in this race are suddenly looking over their shoulder. The key to the turnaround has been solid pitching combined with a lineup that is pounding out some runs on a consistent basis. The concern for this matchup is that the Jays have only produced two total runs against Tampa Bay after averaging 7.4 runs in its previous five games.

Toronto will go with Chien-Ming Wang as its starter for the series opener. The right-hander has not allowed an earned run in his last 16 2/3 innings pitched. Since coming up from an extended stay in the minors earlier this season, he has two quality starts in three outings and is sporting an overall ERA of just 2.18. Lifetime against the Red Sox he is 6-6 with a 4.98 ERA.

Boston is just 2-4 in its last six games and its lead in the division over New York and Baltimore is down to 2.5 games. It has still managed to put runs on the board during this stretch, but its pitchers have gotten bounced around the board with an average of 6.2 runs a game. Overall, the Red Sox are ranked first in the AL in runs scored with an average of 5.1 a game and seventh in pitching with a team ERA of 3.88.

Look for Jon Lester to take the mound on Thursday night as Boston’s starter. He is 7-4 overall with a 4.57 ERA, but the left-hander’s current form leaves something to be desired. He is just 1-4 with a 7.30 ERA in his last five starts. This could be a good opportunity to turn things around after already posting a 2-0 record against the Blue Jays this season with a 2.05 ERA.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Betting Odds and Trends

BetOnline has posted Toronto as a +149 road underdog for Thursday night with the Red Sox listed as 159 home favorites. The total has been set at 9.5.

The Blue Jays are 5-1 in their last six starts against a left-handed pitcher and 5-2 in their last seven games on the road. The total has stayed under in their last six road games.
The Red Sox are a perfect 5-0 in Lester’s last five starts at home and 5-1 in their last six home games against a team with a losing record on the road. The total has stayed under in eight of Lester’s last 11 starts at Fenway Park.

Head-to-head in this division showdown, Toronto has gone 8-1 in its last nine games played in Boston, but the Red Sox are 5-1 in Lester’s last six home starts against the Blue Jays. Boston has a slight 5-4 edge in the first nine meetings this season and the total has stayed under in three of the last four games.

Blue Jays vs. Red Sox Predictions

This should be a very interesting series between the last and first-place team in the AL East but as far as Thursday’s matchup, bank on Boston to gain the early edge. Lester has had good success against Toronto in the past and the Red Sox’s big guns will be able to provide enough run support to get the win.

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