Did the Toronto Blue Jays finally figure something out in an 8-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night, or was it just a mirage for an offense that has been a disappointment to this point?
We’ll find out pretty quickly as the Jays travel to Anaheim to take on the Los Angeles Angels and reigning MVP Shohei Ohtani in the opener of a big four-game set.
While Hyun-jin Ryu is tasked with slowing down a heavenly Halos' lineup, will Ohtani dominate the Jays' right-handed heavy unit, or does Toronto have value as an underdog?
Find out in our free MLB betting picks and predictions for Blue Jays vs. Angels on Thursday, May 26.
Blue Jays vs Angels odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Blue Jays opened this American League matchup as +120 road underdogs and have been faded down to +145. The total hit the board at 7.5 and has seen little action since, but is slightly juiced to the Under as of Thursday afternoon.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Blue Jays vs Angels predictions
Picks made on 5/25/2022 at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Blue Jays vs Angels game info
• Location: Angel Stadium, Los Angeles, CA
• Date: Thursday, May 26, 2022
• First pitch: 9:38 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet, Bally Sports Southwest
Blue Jays vs Angels betting preview
Starting pitchers
Hyun Jin Ryu (1-0, 6.00 ERA): Ryu has looked much more like his old self in his first two starts since returning from a forearm strain. The lefty has allowed just one earned run on 10 hits in 10 2-3 innings over those two appearances.
Shohei Ohtani (3-2, 2.82 ERA): While Ohtani is having a solid season at the plate, he is arguably having his best year on the mound yet. He has allowed four earned runs over his last five starts and is striking out opposing batters at the highest rate of his career.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Blue Jays: Tim Mayza RP (Out).
Angels: Taylor Ward OF (Questionable), Austin Warren RP (Out), David Fletcher SS (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Blue Jays are 2-7 in their last nine games on the road while the Angels are 12-4 in their last 16 at home. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Angels
Blue Jays vs Angels picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Run line analysis
Tuesday’s 8-1 win over the Cardinals was just the third time this season the Blue Jays managed to put up more than seven runs in a game. They have scored double-digit runs just once — on Opening Day against the Rangers.
The Jays’ issues at the dish have been well documented at this point. This is an offense that was projected to be one of the best in baseball heading into the season and has been anything but. The Jays have really struggled at the plate and rank 25th in scoring and 21st in batting average.
But it’s cashing in baserunners that have been their biggest Achilles heel. A year after having the MLB’s second-best batting average with runners in scoring position at .270, Toronto is dead last in batting average with RISP at a dreadful .178. That is nearly 20 points worse than the next closest team, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Tuesday’s win may give Jays' fans some hope as the team hit three home runs, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s first bomb since May 5. Unfortunately, for them, that hope will be put to the test immediately in one of the toughest matchups imaginable.
Reigning AL MVP Shohei Ohtani takes the ball for the Angels and is having an incredible season on the mound. The right-hander possesses a devastating arsenal of pitches and is limiting opponents to an expected batting average of .21, all while striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings.
The tough number for the Jays to swallow, though, is the fact that Ohtani is allowing only a .113 batting average to right-handed batters. Woof.
The Jays counter Ohtani with Hyun-jin Ryu, who as noted, has been much better since returning from his forearm injury. Ryu faced the lowly Reds last time out, however, and now an entirely different level of offense.
Led by Mike Trout, the Halos rank second in OPS and home runs and are Top 10 in scoring and batting average. Against lefties, they rank sixth in batting average and 10th in OPS.
Until the Jays prove they can hit more consistently, it’s hard to back them in this spot. The Angels have the better starter, the better offense, and even a slight edge in the bullpen. Bet them to win by a couple of runs.
Prediction: Angels -1.5 (+130 at DraftKings)
Over/Under analysis
When it comes to the total, the number feels pretty spot on and that’s probably why we haven’t seen a ton of movement to this point. If there was one way to lean, it would probably be the Over.
While Ryu has looked much better since his return from injury, he isn’t doing those things he was known so well for, which is using his breaking stuff to get strikeouts. In fact, his strikeout rate is the lowest of his career. That does not bode well against an Angels’ offense that is one of the best in baseball at the moment.
For the Jays, getting the bats going against Ohtani will be tough, but this team was predicted to be one of the best in baseball for a reason. Luckily though, they probably won’t have to face Ohtani for more than six innings and will then face an Angels bullpen that ranks 19th in ERA and has allowed the fourth-most home runs this season.
Prediction: Over 7.5 (-105 at bet365)
Best bet
Guess what. We’re not fading Ohtani. Shocker, I know.
The Jays still can’t hit with runners in scoring position, are hitting just .233 against right-handers this season, rank 16th in strikeout rate when facing right-handers, and now are facing a guy limiting righties to a .113 batting average and is striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings.
The Halos should be able to do enough at the dish to give them a lead through five against a Jays team that ranks 22nd in first five-inning scoring.
Pick: Angels -0.5 first five innings runline (-112 at FanDuel)
