The Miami Marlins visit the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night in Toronto, with both teams looking to gain ground in their respective division races. Miami enters at 25-29 and fourth in the NL East, while Toronto sits at 25-28 and third in the AL East. The game is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. EDT, and it is the first meeting between the clubs this season.
The Marlins come in riding a three-game winning streak and will look to continue that momentum despite a difficult road record. Miami is 7-14 away from home, but the team has shown signs of offensive balance, ranking eighth in the National League with a .320 team on-base percentage. Toronto, meanwhile, has been more effective at home, where it is 15-12. The Blue Jays have also found success when their power game is working, going 8-5 in games in which they hit at least two home runs.
Pitching sets up as a key storyline. The Marlins are expected to start Janson Junk, who is 2-5 with a 5.07 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, along with 40 strikeouts. Toronto is projected to counter with Trey Yesavage, who has impressed early with a 2-1 record, 1.07 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 29 strikeouts. The matchup gives the Blue Jays a strong-looking edge on the mound, though Miami will hope its recent form can offset the numbers.
Among Toronto’s top performers, Ernie Clement has been one of the more productive hitters, entering with 17 doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs while batting .295. Daulton Varsho has also been a strong contributor over the past 10 games, going 12 for 37 with four doubles and a triple. For Miami, Xavier Edwards has provided extra-base value with nine doubles, three triples and six home runs, while Otto Lopez has been productive recently as well, going 12 for 37 with three doubles over his last 10 games.
Recent form suggests Toronto has had the stronger pitching and a slight overall edge, going 6-4 over its last 10 games with a .218 batting average and a 2.55 ERA while outscoring opponents by eight runs. Miami has gone 5-5 over the same span, batting .247 with a 4.25 ERA and being outscored by one run.
The betting line lists Toronto as a -171 favorite, with Miami at +143, and the over/under is set at 7 1/2 runs.
Both teams are dealing with notable injuries. Toronto’s list includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr. day-to-day with an elbow issue, Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list with a hand injury, and several other regulars and pitchers sidelined. Miami is also missing several players, including Griffin Conine on the 10-day injured list with a hamstring issue and multiple pitchers on the 60-day injured list.
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
