Toronto Blue Jays vs. Cleveland Guardians May 6 Betting Preview

Friday will feature the second of a four-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (16-11) and the Cleveland Guardians (12-13). The Guardians will host this one at Progressive Field with first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

On Thursday, the Guardians won the first game of the series 6-5. Aaron Civale picked up his first win of the season after going 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He struck out eight in the win.

Offensively, Steven Kwan picked up his first home run and had two runs batted in to lead the offense. Franmil Reyes and Andres Gimenez combined for five of the Guardians’ 11 hits.

Bo Bichette led the team with three hits and two runs in the loss. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his seventh home run while Alejandro Kirk hit his first homer of the season.

Betting Odds

Toronto is the favorite Friday despite playing on the road. They are -148 to win while the Guardians’ moneyline sits at +126. The runline features Cleveland +1.5 (-152), and the over/under for total runs is 6.5.

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Pitching Matchup

This game features a battle of veteran aces. Toronto will send Kevin Gausman to the mound Friday. This season, he is 2-1 with a 2.27 ERA and 41 strikeouts.

The Guardians will counter with ace Shane Bieber. In five starts, he is 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and has 29 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.

By The Numbers

The Guardians currently rank fifth in scoring averaging 4.63 runs per game (4.13 at home). The Blue Jays rank 21st averaging 3.73 runs per game (3.30 on the road).

Defensively, the Blue Jays hold the edge. They rank 13th in scoring defense allowing opponents an average of four runs per game (2.90 on the road). The Guardians rank 24th allowing 4.33 runs per game (3.88 at home).

Blue Jays Try To Get Back Into Win Column

At 16-11, the Blue Jays sit in third place in the AL East, three games behind the New York Yankees. While they have a strong record, they have struggled lately, losing three of their last four. On Friday, they will look to get back into the win column.

Leading the offense is first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. On the season, he is hitting .290/.364/.559 with a team-leading seven home runs and 19 runs batted in.

George Springer has also had a solid start to the season hitting .274/.333/.516 with six home runs, 12 runs batted in, and a team-leading 17 runs scored to date out of the leadoff spot.

It will be interesting to see how Guerrero and Springer do on Friday, though, as they are a combined zero for eight against Bieber in their careers.

Guardians Try To Stay Above .500 At Home

While the Cleveland Guardians sit in second place in the AL Central, 2.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins, they are still a game under .500 overall. They have played better at Progressive Field, where they are 5-4, and they will look to build on their home success Friday night.

Third baseman Jose Ramirez continues to be a dominant force in the Guardians’ lineup. In 92 at bats, he is hitting .315/.413/.641 with a team-leading seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. He also has 14 runs scored, two stolen bases, and has struck out just 10 times versus 15 walks.

Against Kevin Gausman, Ramirez is hitting .273 in 11 at bats. Amed Rosario is one for four against Gausman, but that one hit was a grand slam.

Friday Features Battle Of Aces

If you like pitching duels, Friday night’s game could be a good one to watch. Both Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber have the ability to keep runs off the board, which is why the over/under for total runs is set at a miniscule 6.5.

Still, if the Guardians can find a way to scratch across a few runs, Bieber should be able to take care of the rest. It won’t be easy against a solid Blue Jays squad, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see them take the first two games of this series.