Yahoo Sports The Daily Sweat: Blue Jays sneaking up on Yankees, Red Sox in playoff race
Not that it should guide anyone's wagers, but the Toronto Blue Jays are really fun to bet on.
They have a young, exciting team that can mash the ball. And they have been cashing a lot of tickets lately.
The Blue Jays took their second in a row against the New York Yankees on Tuesday night, winning 5-1 as a +185 underdog. The Jays are underdogs again Wednesday at New York, albeit a fairly small +100 dog at BetMGM.
The Jays have won six in a row, and suddenly the AL wild-card race has some real intrigue. The Yankees still hold the top wild-card spot, but they're just 2.5 games ahead of Toronto and have been ice cold since their 13-game winning streak. The Red Sox are two games ahead of the Blue Jays.
Maybe this is a good time to note that the Blue Jays are +2500 to win the AL at BetMGM. It's not all that crazy.
If you buy that the best thing to be in October is the hottest team, Toronto checks that box. The Jays have won nine of 10. Their lineup is stacked, led my non-Ohtani MVP candidates Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Marcus Semien. The rotation for a playoff series isn't too bad, with Robbie Ray, Hyun Jin Ryu, Steven Matz and rookie Alex Manoah. If they get to that point, of course.
The schedule isn't easy. They still have five games left against the Yankees (which might not be the worst thing as they chase a wild-card spot) and six against the division-leading Tampa Bay Rays. They don't play the Red Sox anymore. Toronto will have to hold its own against the best teams on the schedule and feast against the bad ones.
It could happen. And the Jays would be a worthwhile entry in the playoffs. At very least, we'll get a few more weeks to bet on them.
Here's the first look at the sports betting slate for Wednesday:
No football again?
One more day until the NFL regular season begins. And that line is up to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -8 over the Dallas Cowboys.
One more day.
Any afternoon baseball?
Three afternoon games, and a couple decent ones. The Seattle Mariners, who are still on the fringes of the wild-card race, are +165 underdogs against the Houston Astros. The San Francisco Giants try to stay ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West race, and they're -160 favorites at the Colorado Rockies. The Texas Rangers also play the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the less said about that game the better.
What about the rest of the schedule?
The Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies have traded blowout wins, and the final game of the series should be fun with Kyle Gibson of the Phillies going against Freddy Peralta of the Brewers. Milwaukee is -160 at BetMGM.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox meet again. The Rays have taken the first two games of the series, and somehow they were underdogs in both games. The Rays are slight -105 underdogs again Wednesday, and there's no reason to not take them again.
Who cashed tickets on Tuesday?
It was a big day for underdogs in MLB, as eight won. The best of the lot was the Los Angeles Angeles, who beat the reeling San Diego Padres as +275 underdogs.
What's the best bet?
Toronto has been good to us this week, and I'm not backing off them. The Jays and Yankees are going in opposite directions the past couple weeks, and I'm fine taking them at +100 odds Wednesday.
