Toronto Blue Jays vs Oakland A’s

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The Toronto Blue Jays’ rotation is a bit in shambles right now due to injuries, so they may be going with more of a bullpen game on Tuesday in the second game of their series at the Oakland A’s. Oakland is a short favorite on the MLB odds.

How to Bet Blue Jays at A’s MLB Odds & TV Info

When: Tuesday, 9:40 PM ET
Where: Oakland Coliseum
Probable pitchers (away/home): Anthony Kay/Cole Irvin
TV: MLB Extra Innings

Why Bet on Toronto? | Betting Odds for MLB

Outfielder George Springer hit only one of his 174 homers as an Astro in a 3-0 count, but has hit his first two homers as a Blue Jay in a 3-0 count. Over the weekend, he became the 3rd MLB player (since tracking started in 1988) to hit two 3-0 homers in the same game, joining Chase Utley (June 28, 2007 vs. CIN) and Derek Norris (May 11, 2014 vs. WAS).

The Jays have dealt with plenty of injuries in the early going – ace Hyun-Jin Ryu is currently on the injured list with a right glute strain. Over the weekend the Jays placed catcher Alejandro Kirk on the 10-day injured list with a left hip flexor injury. Kirk had to leave Saturday’s game with hip discomfort after running out a foul ball.

In addition, reliever Anthony Castro was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain. No word yet on the timetable for his return. Castro has been great out of the Jays’ bullpen this year with a 9/1 K/BB ratio over 7 1/3 scoreless frames.

It’s expected to be lefty Anthony Kay (0-1, 10.80) on the mound here – although he surely won’t be out there very long. After being called up from the alternate site Sunday, Kay was available out of the bullpen for Toronto’s series finale vs. Atlanta, but he wasn’t needed in the 7-2 victory.

Kay was tagged for five runs (four earned) on six hits with three strikeouts and zero walks in his lone start this year against the Royals on April 15. The 26-year-old owns a bloated 5.87 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 38/19 K/BB ratio over 38 1/3 innings (17 appearances, three starts) for the Blue Jays since 2019.

This will be a return to Oakland for former A’s All-Star shortstop Marcus Semien. He signed a one-year deal this offseason worth $18 million to play second base for Toronto.

Why Bet on Oakland? | Betting Odds for MLB

The A’s placed right-hander J.B. Wendelken on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique. The move was made prior to Sunday’s game. Wendelken has been a workhorse out of the A’s bullpen this year, posting a 4.38 ERA and 14/5 K/BB ratio in 12 1/3 innings. Right-hander Jordan Weems and left-hander Adam Kolarek were both recalled from the A’s alternate site in Stockton, Calif., on Sunday, giving the club a full eight-man bullpen.

Oakland’s Mark Canha made history on Sunday. He was hit by a pitch for the 60th time in his career from Orioles lefty Bruce Zimmermann in the third inning of that game vs. Baltimore, setting the Oakland record for hit by pitches, eclipsing Sal Bando’s previous mark of 59.

It’s Cole Irvin (2-3, 3.67) on the mound for Oakland. Irvin fanned eight while holding the Rays to two runs over six frames but took a loss last Wednesday. The Rays got to Irvin with a two-out rally in the fifth, first with Mike Zunino belting a long home run and then with a walk and two straight singles. Irvin then bounced back by striking out the side in the sixth in his final inning of work.

After struggling in two straight starts against the Astros to start the season, Irvin has allowed just three runs over his last three outings, boasting a 20/2 K/BB ratio over 17 1/3 innings during that span. Irvin was not supposed to be a part of the Oakland A’s starting rotation this year. He was, at best, expected to be a minor league depth piece, but injuries played a big role in Irvin earning the fifth starter spot.

Even when he excelled in Spring Training and earned a rotation spot in place of a then-injured Mike Fiers, Irvin called it a “temporary” fix.

“He made his case in Spring Training and he’s still making his case,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “We could do things a little differently going forward, you know, try to get [Fiers] in there at some point to start. But [Irvin] has certainly pitched well enough to stay in the rotation.”