The Toronto Blue Jays will look to rebound Tuesday after dropping the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, 3-1, on Monday night.

Toronto managed just four hits and one run – a solo shot off the bat of Alejandro Kirk – against Brewers starter Colin Rea and a pair of relievers.

With the win, the Brewers extended their home winning streak to six games. They also have wins in three of their last four games overall.

Let’s dive into the game odds for Tuesday’s clash between the Blue Jays and Brewers courtesy of bet365:

Blue Jays vs. Brewers odds

Betting Toronto Blue Jays (32-34 SU, 32-34 ATS, 29-36-1 o/u)

It was the same old story for the Blue Jays on Monday: they simply can’t produce enough hits and runs. Spencer Horwitz accounted for two of the team’s four hits and Kirk was the only Blue Jay to plate. Rea isn’t an All-Star, but the Blue Jays made him look like one on Monday night.

The frustrating part is that Toronto had produced six or more runs in three of its four contests heading into Monday’s series opener, suggesting the bats might finally had been waking up from a season-long slumber. Blue Jays hitters have averaged 3.9 runs per game (25th in the majors) and 7.6 hits per game (23rd in MLB). They’ve also slugged just 55 homers, which ranks 26th in baseball. 

Betting Milwaukee Brewers (39-27 SU, 38-28 ATS, 37-27-2 o/u)

Shortstop Willy Adames was the only player on the Brewers roster that had previous success (3-for-5) against Toronto’s starting pitcher, Jose Berrios, and he continued that trend with a pair of hits, including his 10th homer of the season off the right-hander. Rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio also went deep off Berrios for his seventh long ball of the year. Milwaukee has had success at the plate all season long, but the Blue Jays limited the Brewers to just six hits on Monday. Two of them did big damage.

The Brewers rank in the top 10 in the majors in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS, and stolen bases. However, they do struggle against left-handed pitching, recording a .227/.305/.365 slash line against southpaws this season. Their .227 team batting average against left-handers ranks 25th in the majors.

Probable starting pitchers

Toronto: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (3-5, 3.48 ERA, 8.83 K/9, 1.22 WHIP)

Kikuchi rebounded from two bad starts with a solid outing against the Baltimore Orioles last time out, throwing six innings of one-run ball while striking out six. In his two previous starts before that, Kikuchi was tagged for 10 earned runs in just over eight innings of work by the Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers. After examining the lefty’s split stats, bettors will discover he has pitched much better during night games this year, recording a 2.25 ERA while holding opponents to a .213 batting average over five evening starts. His ERA is 4.46 and opponents are batting .304 against him during the day. Kikuchi went on the record last year, stating he ideally likes to get 14 hours of sleep for peak performance. Perhaps that’s one reason why he pitches better at night when it’s obviously easier to sleep in as opposed to a day game.

Milwaukee: RHP Carlos Rodriguez (MLB debut)

Rodriguez has been promoted from Triple-A Nashville to make his major-league debut after Robert Gasser (elbow) landed on the injured list. The right-hander will be the 12th pitcher to make a start for Milwaukee this season and he recorded a pedestrian 4-5 record with a 5.17 ERA in 12 outings in the minors this year. You may recall Rodriguez pitching in last year’s World Baseball Classic for Nicaragua against Puerto Rico. He threw four innings of one-run ball against a loaded Puerto Rico lineup full of big leaguers and notched three strikeouts. Rodriguez is the team’s No. 6 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

Weather

Forecasts are calling for temperatures around 18 C with a 30% chance of showers. Winds will be blowing in from right field at 9 mph. The retractable roof at the stadium may be open.

MLB betting trends

• The Brewers are 19-9-1 o/u at home this season.
• The Brewers have won 14 of their last 16 home games.
• The under is 3-1 in Toronto’s last four games.

MLB player prop trends

• Brewers catcher William Contreras has recorded a hit in five straight games and is slashing a scorching .339/.409/.491 at home this season. He’s -250 to get a hit and +115 to record over 1.5 total bases.
• Brewers infielder Brice Turang has been hot in the hits + runs +RBIs betting market this season, converting over 0.5 at a 71% rate this season. He’s also hit that mark in four of his last five games and eight of his last 10. Turang is -160 to accomplish the feat on Tuesday.
• Blue Jays outfielder Daulton Varsho has collected over 0.5 total bases in three straight games and eight of his last 10. He’s -140 to go over that mark.

Blue Jays vs. Brewers predictions

• Kikuchi over 16.5 outs recorded: -130. The Brewers really struggle against left-handed pitching, so I love Kikuchi’s chances of throwing at least 5 2/3 innings and recording at least 17 outs in this spot. He’s exceeded that mark in seven of his last 10 outings, including last time out against the high-powered Orioles.
• Contreras is in a good spot to stay hot here. He’s taken Kikuchi deep and drawn two walks in three career plate appearances against him. As previously stated, he loves hitting at home and is in good form right now with a five-game hitting streak, but there’s not much value in wagering on him to get a hit at -250. Why not consider the +200 odds on him to draw a walk? Contreras has a good eye at the plate and ranks in the 65th percentile in walk percentage, according to Baseball Savant. More importantly, he has Kikuchi’s number and the left-hander knows it. Don’t be surprised if Kikuchi tip-toes around him in this matchup, especially if there’s an open base.

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