Blue Jays vs. Guardians Prediction, Betting Tips & Picks 5/8/2022

The Toronto Blue Jays will look to pick up their 17th win of the season when they take on the Cleveland Guardians (13-13) Sunday. The game begins at 1:40 PM ET, with the Blue Jays listed as -199 favorites on the moneyline. Toronto’s Alek Manoah gets the start, and he’ll go against Cleveland’s Konnor Pilkington.

Blue Jays vs. Guardians Spread and Betting Line

Computer Predictions for Blue Jays vs. Guardians

Our computer pick: Cleveland Guardians (+168) and Over (7.5)

Blue Jays vs. Guardians Game Info

• Toronto Blue Jays probable starting pitcher: Alek Manoah
• Cleveland Guardians probable starting pitcher: Konnor Pilkington
• Game Day: Sunday, May 8, 2022
• Game Time: 1:40 PM ET
• Location: Cleveland, Ohio
• Stadium: Progressive Field

Toronto Blue Jays vs Cleveland Guardians Pitching Matchup

Blue Jays Starter Alek Manoah

• Manoah makes the start for the Blue Jays, his sixth of the season. He is 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA and 32 strikeouts through 31 innings pitched.
• The righty last pitched on Tuesday against the New York Yankees, when he went 6 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run while giving up three hits.
• In five games this season, the 24-year-old has amassed a 1.45 ERA and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings, while giving up a batting average of .167 to opposing batters.
• Manoah is looking for his sixth straight quality start.
• Manoah will try to prolong a six-game streak of going five or more innings (he’s averaging 6.1 frames per appearance).
• He meets a Guardians offense that ranks sixth in the league with 125 runs while batting .257 as a squad. It has a collective .403 slugging percentage (fifth in MLB action) and has hit a total of 22 home runs (18th in MLB).
• Among pitchers who qualify in MLB play this season, the 24-year-old ranks third in ERA (1.45), seventh in WHIP (.839), and 20th in K/9 (9.3).

Guardians Starter Konnor Pilkington

• The Guardians will send out Pilkington for his first start of the season.
• This will be the first start of the season for the 24-year-old left-hander, who has not made an appearance on the mound in over a season.
• The Blue Jays have scored 104 runs this season, which ranks 19th in MLB. They have 220 hits, seventh in baseball, with 34 home runs (third in the league).

Blue Jays Betting Picks & Insights

• This season, the Blue Jays have won 12 out of the 20 games, or 60%, in which they’ve been favored.
• Toronto has a record of 3-2 in games where oddsmakers favor them by at least -199 on the moneyline.
• Sportsbooks have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Blue Jays have a 66.6% chance to win.
• Toronto’s games have gone over the total in 11 of their 28 chances.
• The Blue Jays are 11-17-0 against the spread this season.

Guardians Betting Picks & Insights

• The Guardians have been victorious in 10, or 47.6%, of the 21 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
• This season, Cleveland has been a moneyline underdog of -199 or better three times, losing every contest.
• The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Guardians have a 37.3% chance of walking away with the win.
• Contests with Cleveland have gone over the total set by bookmakers in 18 of 29 chances this season.
• The Guardians are 17-12-0 against the spread in their 29 games that had a posted line this season.

Blue Jays Leaders & Batting Stats

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has accumulated a team-high batting average of .289, while pacing the Blue Jays in home runs (seven) and runs batted in (19).
• Guerrero’s home runs rank him sixth in MLB, and he ranks 13th in RBI.
• Guerrero brings a hitting streak of five games into this game. During his last five outings he is hitting .353 with two doubles, a home run, two walks and three RBI.
• George Springer is hitting .276 with five doubles, six home runs and seven walks.
• Springer is 13th in home runs and 73rd in RBI on the season.
• Bo Bichette is hitting .254 with six doubles, three home runs and four walks.
• Bichette has at least one base hit in seven games in a row. During his last 10 games he is hitting .341 with four doubles, a home run, a walk and five RBI.
• Santiago Espinal has nine doubles, two home runs and seven walks while batting .261.
• Espinal has recorded at least one hit in two games in a row. During his last five outings he is batting .250 with three doubles, a walk and an RBI.

Guardians Leaders & Batting Stats

• Jose Ramirez leads the Guardians in home runs (seven) and runs batted in (29).
• Among all hitters in the majors, Ramirez ranks sixth in homers and first in RBI.
• Ramirez takes a hitting streak of two games into this game. During his last five outings he is batting .167 with a double, six walks and an RBI.
• Owen Miller is hitting .359 with 10 doubles, two home runs and 11 walks.
• Miller ranks 112th in home runs and 110th in RBI among all major league batters this season.
• Steven Kwan paces the Guardians with a team-high batting average of .319.
• Myles Straw has six doubles, a triple and 15 walks while hitting .268.

Betting Tips for Blue Jays vs. Guardians

Our best bet is the Guardians on the moneyline at +168 after taking a look at all of the key statistics and trends for this matchup. Our computer predicts the scoring will over the total of 7.5 runs.