Blue Jays Will Take Series Opener Over Phillies

Phillies vs. Blue Jays, 7:07 ET

We've got two East division squads, one from the American League and one from the National League. The National League squad, the Phillies, currently sit in second place in their division and are looking to make yet another run into the MLB playoffs after reaching the World Series last year. On the other side is the American League team, the Blue Jays, a team that has all the potential in the world. It is interesting though as they have virtually identical records and the Blue Jays are third in their division, highlighting just how good the teams in the AL East have been.

The Phillies started the year a bit slowly and there were a few concerns. It seemed like their pitching was trying to work the kinks out of their performance in the early season, and now seem to be rolling a bit more than normal. The offense has been pretty reliable, and with the talent in the lineup, you had to have assumed this would come sooner rather than later. They have the capability to reach the World Series once again and even have a stronger rotation this year than they did last year. Tonight, they send out one of their Aces, Zack Wheeler. Wheeler has had a decent enough season, but I'd say he has underperformed overall. He has only had one month with an ERA over four runs, but he is capable of holding teams to much fewer runs than we are seeing. He has been better on the road this season than at home, but it isn't by much. He has one more start on the road, which only has amounted to about four innings and three earned runs of a difference. Wheeler is on a really nice streak right now though with six consecutive quality starts.

Jun 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Zack Wheeler (45) throws a pitch against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Blue Jays are the team that most reminds me of the Phillies from last season. I think they are the one that could do the most damage if and when they make the playoffs. They have a pitching staff that reminds me of what the Phillies had last year. Their hitters are very tough outs and they have a nice balance of contact and power. I think they can match up with pretty much anyone especially if they get solid pitching performances from their starters. I've never really liked their starter for tonight's game, Yusei Kikuchi, but I need to give him a hat tip because he is putting together a very nice year. Kikuchi has a strong 3.53 ERA and doesn't have any drastic splits either. He's been very solid in August with two starts covering 13 innings and two earned runs allowed. He hasn't allowed more than one earned run in any of his last five starts. He's only faced two of the Phillies hitters and has held them to zero hits in the seven at-bats against him.

I like Toronto in this game. Neither team is coming into this game with much of a streak or very hot. I think they are very evenly matched and both Wheeler and Kikuchi are pitching very well right now. I prefer to take the Blue Jays for the game though as I think that Wheeler is more likely right now to struggle than Kikuchi is. I'll take the Blue Jays at -105.

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