Blue Jays vs Braves Prediction & MLB Odds For Sunday, September 8th
At 1:35 PM ET, the Blue Jays and Braves square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Truist Park in Atlanta, and the Braves are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -272. The money line odds for the Blue Jays are at +223, and they are 5th in the AL East with a record of 68-75.
Chris Sale will start for the Braves, while the Blue Jays are sending Yariel Rodriguez to the mound. Toronto is 3-3 in their last six games, while the Braves have won four of their last six.
Betting Odds & Lines for this Game
- Spread: Blue Jays 1.5 (-102) | Braves -1.5 (-120)
- Total: 7.5
- MoneyLine: Blue Jays +223 | Braves -272
All Odds are courtesy of (BetMGM | DraftKings | Fanduel | BetRivers)
Blue Jays vs. Braves Prediction: Moneyline
Thanks to a three-run 9th inning for the Blue Jays’ offense, they picked up a 9-5 road win over the Braves in the most recent game of this series. Heading into the game, the Blue Jays were at +138 on the money line.
The starting pitching matchup for this game featured Jose Berrios for the Blue Jays, and he went six innings while giving up just one run and picked up a win. Spencer Schwellenbach struggled on the mound for the Braves, giving up three earned runs in five innings of work.
Toronto’s offense was led by a huge game from Spencer Horwitz, who went 4/5 with two homers and three RBIs. Horwitz was one of five Blue Jays hitters to have a multi-hit game.
Toronto is 68-75 overall and 5th in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 14.5 games. The Blue Jays have gone 20-26 against other teams in the AL East. So far, they are 34-35 at home and have gone 34-40 on the road.
The Blue Jays have dropped two straight series and are 16-23-6 in series this year. As the road underdog, they are 21-33 compared to 41-28 as the favorite overall. Toronto has struggled recently, going just 3-7 over their last ten games.
With an overall record of 77-65, the Braves are 3rd in the NL East and trail the Phillies by eight games. So far, they have gone 23-21 in divisional matchups. Atlanta is at home today, where they are 39-30 this season. They have been just above .500 on the road, going 38-35.
As the favorite, the Braves have put together a mark of 65-49 this season, and they are 38-28 as the favorite at home. Atlanta’s overall series record is 25-16-5, and they are currently tied in their series vs. the Blue Jays. Heading into today’s game, the Braves are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
Blue Jays vs. Braves Prediction: Over/Under
The Toronto Blue Jays have played in 108 games this season with over/under lines set higher than 7.5 runs, which is 75.5% of their games. Their games have averaged 8.9 runs per game, and their over/under record for the season is 75-65. When the over/under line is set at 7.5 runs, their record is 16-14. Today’s over/under line for their game against the Atlanta Braves is set at 7.5 runs.
So far this season, the Blue Jays offense has been pretty average, as they are 17th in runs per game at 4.3 and have the league’s 19th ranked home run total. As a team, the Blue Jays are batting .243, which is 11th in the league. Toronto’s offense has been led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is 8th in the league with 94 RBIs and is batting .326 with a team-high 28 homers.
Guerrero Jr. has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/34 in his last eight games, with one home run and seven RBIs. Over his last nine games, Spencer Horwitz is batting .324 with three homers. Justin Turner, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Alejandro Kirk are all on nice hitting streaks coming into the game.
With a combined run average of 8.1, the Braves have seen their games go over the total in 52 of 85 contests this season. In games where the over/under line is set at 7.5, the over has hit in 11 of 18 games. Overall, 73.2% of Atlanta’s games this season have had higher over/under lines than 7.5 runs.
Marcell Ozuna has been the Braves’ top hitter this season, as he is batting .307 with a team-high 37 home runs and 98 RBIs. Matt Olson is also a power threat in the lineup, as he has 25 homers but is batting just .232 this season. Over his last four games, Jarred Kelenic is hitting .308 with a home run and four RBIs.
As a team, the Braves are 16th in the MLB in scoring at 4.3 runs per game. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.6 runs per contest. Overall, they are 5th in home runs and have the 13th best team batting average in the league.
Blue Jays vs. Braves Prediction: Spread
Despite an overall run differential of -0.4 runs per game, the Blue Jays have been a profitable bet on the run line this season, going 72-71. They’ve been especially good on the road, where they are 47-27 vs. the run line. They’ve been a better bet as an underdog than as a favorite, going 41-33 vs. the run line as the underdog.
Right-hander Yariel Rodríguez is getting the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Braves on the road. He has made 17 starts this year and has a record of 1-6 with an ERA of 4.61. Opponents are batting .231 this year off Rodríguez, and he has a WHIP of 1.38. In his 17 starts, he has turned in two quality starts and is averaging 9.09 strikeouts per nine innings. The last time he pitched, Rodríguez went three innings and didn’t give up a run, finishing with a no-decision. Before that, he had given up at least one homer in three straight outings.
When the Braves win, they win big, with an average run margin of +3.6 runs per game. But when they lose, they lose big, with an average run margin of -3.2 runs per game. Their run line record is just below .500 at 68-74, and they are 29-40 against the run line at home. They are 39-34 against the run line on the road, and 51-63 against the run line as the favorite.
Chris Sale gets the start for the Braves today and comes in with a record of 16-3 and an ERA of 2.46. So far, he has made 26 starts and 16 of them have been quality starts. Sale’s ERA at home is 3.08, and he has yet to lose a game at home, coming in with a record of 9-0. In comparison, he is 7-3 on the road with an ERA of 2.42. Sale’s last outing came on September 3rd, where he picked up the win, going seven innings and not giving up a run. Before that, he had given up at least two earned runs in three straight starts.
Blue Jays vs. Braves Pick: Blue Jays ML +223
With the Blue Jays coming in at +223 on the money line, we see this as a great value pick for today’s Blue Jays vs. Braves matchup. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Blue Jays, giving us a lot of room to take the Blue Jays on the money line.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we do have Chris Sale finishing with more strikeouts than Yariel Rodríguez, but Sale is currently sitting at -272 to pick up the win. In terms of Rodriguez, he is projected to finish with six strikeouts.
