Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland Athletics Prediction, Odds & Picks – 6/8/2024

Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland Athletics Details

• Date: June 8, 2024
• Venue: Oakland Coliseum
• Starting Pitchers:
  • Kevin Gausman - Blue Jays
  • Luis Medina - Athletics

Betting Odds

Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland Athletics Win Probabilities

Implied Win % in sports betting represent the probability of an outcome as suggested by the betting odds. It's a way for bettors to gauge the likelihood of an event occurring based on the odds offered by sportsbooks.

Projected Win %, also known as projected win probability, is an estimate by ATS.io to determine the likelihood that a team will win a game or event. This projection is often based on various factors such as team performance, statistics, and historical data.

Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland Athletics Betting Preview

The Oakland Athletics will face off against the Toronto Blue Jays on June 8, 2024, at Oakland Coliseum in the second game of their series. The Athletics currently hold a 26-39 record, struggling mightily this season, whereas the Blue Jays, with a 30-33 record, have been underwhelming but not disastrous. The Athletics are well out of playoff contention, making this more of a pride game for them.

Luis Medina is slated to start for the Athletics, bringing his 0.00 ERA into the game, although his 3.32 xFIP, as per THE BAT X, indicates he's been more lucky than good. Medina has only one start under his belt this season and is projected to pitch just 4.8 innings while allowing 2.6 earned runs, striking out 4, and issuing 2.2 walks. His high-strikeout rate of 28.6% might seem promising, but he's facing a Blue Jays lineup that ranks 2nd in the league in avoiding strikeouts.

Kevin Gausman takes the mound for Toronto, bringing a 4-4 record with a 4.60 ERA into the game. Despite the average ERA, his 3.47 xFIP suggests he's been a bit unlucky and could improve. Gausman is expected to pitch 6.1 innings, allowing 2.4 earned runs and striking out 7.1 batters on average, showcasing his reliability and effectiveness.

Offensively, the Athletics rank poorly in multiple categories, including 25th in overall offense and 28th in team batting average. However, they are 5th in team home runs, giving them a slight edge in power. The Blue Jays, meanwhile, rank 18th in offense and 20th in batting average, but they struggle with power, sitting at 25th in home runs.

Zack Gelof has been the standout for the Athletics over the last week, boasting a .278 batting average and a 1.038 OPS. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been hot for the Blue Jays, hitting .381 with an OPS of 1.101 over the past week, making him a key player to watch.

Overall, with their statistical edge and Gausman's potential for a bounce-back performance, the Blue Jays are the favorites, carrying a moneyline of -160 and an implied win probability of 59%. The Athletics, as underdogs with a moneyline of +135, have an implied win probability of 41%. The projected game total stands at an average of 8.0 runs, suggesting a competitive but not overly high-scoring affair.

Quick Takes Toronto Blue Jays:

Kevin Gausman has been given an above-average leash this year, throwing 6.9 more adjusted pitches-per-start than league average.

• Pitchers with a longer leash are more likely to go deeper into games and record more outs.

Oakland's 3rd-worst outfield defense of all teams on the slate creates a favorable matchup for Daulton Varsho, who tends to hit a lot of flyballs.

• This player's skill set matches up well with the opposing team's defensive weakness, which may lead to better-than-usual performance.

The Toronto Blue Jays (21.4 K% (via the leading projection system, THE BAT X) are projected to have the 5th-least strikeout-prone set of batters of all teams on the slate today.

• THE BAT X analyzes each player in today's specific lineup to figure out which teams have the least inherent strikeout potential for the opposing pitcher.

Quick Takes Oakland Athletics:

As a result of his reverse platoon split, Luis Medina has a tough challenge being matched up with 6 bats in the projected lineup who share his handedness today.

• A pitcher with a reverse platoon split will perform worse against same-handed hitters (i.e. a right-handed pitcher will be worse against a right-handed hitter). Losing this advantage against several hitters can have a huge impact on whether a pitcher will perform well or struggle on any given day.

Since the start of last season, Brent Rooker's 15.5% Barrel%, a reliable metric for measuring power, places him in the 94th percentile among his peers.

• Barrel% measures how often a player hits the ball at the optimal exit velocity and launch angle and is a terrific measure of underlying power.

According to the leading projection system (THE BAT), the Oakland Athletics' bullpen grades out as the 2nd-best out of all teams in the majors.

• Most bettors only consider the starting pitcher, but a strong bullpen sneakily creates a tougher matchup for the opposing offense and suppresses a game's runs.

Game Trends

• The Oakland Athletics have hit the Game Total Under in 31 of their last 56 games (+6.20 Units / 10% ROI)
• The Toronto Blue Jays have hit the Team Total Under in 30 of their last 51 games (+7.35 Units / 12% ROI)
• Bo Bichette has hit the Hits Under in 29 of his last 40 games (+9.35 Units / 12% ROI)

Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland Athletics Prediction

Final Score: Toronto Blue Jays 4.67 vs Oakland Athletics 3.67

Get daily MLB picks here.