Toronto Blue Jays vs La Angels Angels Picks and Predictions August 23rd 2024

Friday’s matchup between the Angels and Blue Jays has a first pitch set for 7:07 PM ET from the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Blue Jays are the heavy favorite on the money line, with their odds sitting at -190 compared to the Angels at +159. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.

Jack Kochanowicz is starting for the Angels, and he will be facing off against Chris Bassitt. The Angels are 54-74 this season, while the Blue Jays are 60-68. Toronto is 5th in the AL East, and the Angels are 5th in the AL West. SNET will be televising Friday’s game, and the Angels have lost two straight heading into the game.

Los Angeles vs. Toronto Key Information

Jack Kochanowicz will be making his 4th start of the season for the Angels, and he has a 1-2 record through his first 3 outings. He picked up a win in his last start, going 7 2/3 innings and striking out 6. In his first start of the season, he took a loss, giving up 2 runs over 6 innings.

So far this season, the Angels offense has been one of the worst in the league, averaging just 4 runs per game, which is 26th in the MLB. They have been even worse at home, averaging just 3.9 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .235, and their team on-base percentage of .306 is also near the bottom of the league.

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Although Zach Neto has been the Angels’ top power threat this season, his batting average has slipped to just .148 over his last seven games. However, Jo Adell has been even worse in that stretch, going 4/27. The Angels do have some positive momentum at the plate, as Nolan Schanuel is on a seven-game hitting streak and is batting .357 over his last eight games.

Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Blue Jays today and comes in with a record of 9-12 and an ERA of 4.34. Looking back at his last outing, Bassitt took the loss, going five innings and giving up three earned runs on five hits. He has lost each of his last two starts and has allowed at least two homers in three of his last four outings. Bassitt has a WHIP of 1.44 and opponents are batting .263 off the right-hander this season. So far, he has made 25 starts, 10 of which were quality starts.

So far this season, the Blue Jays offense has been pretty average, as they are 19th in runs scored and have the 19th ranked batting average in the league. However, they do have the 15th best team slugging percentage and have been good at avoiding strikeouts, as they are 6th in the league in this category. Toronto’s offense is led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is batting .316 for the season and has gone deep 26 times, which is 11th in the MLB. His 81 RBIs are also 12th best in the league.

George Springer has also been swinging a hot bat of late, as he has three homers in his last seven games and is 8/32 during this stretch. Ernie Clement is also on a nice run, going 6/23 with three homers in his last six games. Daulton Varsho has a seven-game hitting streak coming into the game.

For a money-line pick, we are leaning towards the Angels to come out on top on the road vs. the Blue Jays. And with our projections pointing to this being the highest-scoring game of the day, we are also leaning towards taking the over. These teams have the 2nd and 3rd highest combined home run projection, and Chris Bassitt is our highest projected starter of the day in terms of innings pitched.

Angels Hope Rookie Niko Kavadas Sparks Offense Against Blue Jays

The Los Angeles Angels, presently in a rut, are trusting that youngster Niko Kavadas’ most memorable significant league hit — a three-run homerun — will light their offense as they face the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of a four-game series on Friday night. The Angels, who have lost eight of their last ten games, are hoping to make something happen on their 10-game excursion.

Kavadas Provides a Glimmer of Hope

Niko Kavadas’ three-run homer in the 10th inning of Thursday’s down was a truly necessary lift for an Angels offense that had been battling. Albeit the homer came past the time to change the result of the 5-3 misfortune to the Blue Jays, it finished a 17-inning scoreless streak for the Angels.

“Definitely a big relief,” Kavadas said after his first major league hit, a blast to left field with two outs in the ninth inning.

Angels manager Ron Washington is hopeful that Kavadas’ breakthrough can provide the momentum the team needs going forward.

“We hadn’t scored a run in 17 innings and then we finally broke through,” Washington said. “Hopefully that gives us a boost for tomorrow.”

The Angels’ offensive struggles were evident in their previous series as well, where they were shut out 3-0 by the Kansas City Royals in the decisive game. Now, as they continue their road trip, they need to find a way to generate runs consistently.

Encouraging Signs from Griffin Canning

Another positive development for the Angels on Thursday was the performance of right-hander Griffin Canning, who pitched six scoreless relief innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six. This was Canning’s first relief appearance of the season after 25 starts, and it came at a crucial time for the Angels as they tried to stop the bleeding.

Canning’s strong performance came after opener Brock Burke and Mike Baumann struggled in Toronto’s five-run second inning, which ultimately sealed the Angels’ fate in the game.

On the other side, the Blue Jays received five scoreless innings of relief from left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, who followed opener Ryan Burr. The Blue Jays’ decision to use an opener was aimed at giving their rotation an extra day of rest, a strategy that paid off.

Blue Jays Continue Their Dominance Over Angels

The Blue Jays have had the Angels’ number recently, outscoring them 19-5 in a three-game sweep at Anaheim last week. On Thursday, Ernie Clement was the key player for Toronto, hitting a two-run homer in the second inning, his 10th of the season. Clement has been on fire, homering in three consecutive games for the first time in his career and batting .307 over his past 25 games.

“I finally think I’m turning the corner a little bit and I’m impacting the ball more,” Clement said. “I feel more comfortable at the plate. I’m just seeing it a little bit better, so I can get my ‘A’ swing off instead of just trying to hit the ball.”

Forebearing’s homer on Thursday came from an eye-high fastball, a pitch that he cleverly conceded he shouldn’t have swung at. “I presumably ought not be swinging at pitches like that,” Lenient said happily.

Blue Jays chief John Schneider was similarly intrigued, referring to the homer as “ludicrous” and lauding Merciful’s tip top bat-to-ball abilities.

The Blue Jays have now homered in 11 straight games, their longest streak beginning around 2021, and they’ll hope to proceed with that power flood against the Angels.

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Pitching Matchup: Bassitt vs. Kochanowicz

On Friday, the Blue Jays will send right-hander Chris Bassitt (9-12, 4.34 ERA) to the mound. Bassitt is looking to bounce back after back-to-back losses to the Chicago Cubs and Oakland Athletics. He has a strong track record against the Angels, with a 7-3 record and a 3.39 ERA in 13 career appearances (11 starts) against them.

The Angels will counter with newbie right-hander Jack Kochanowicz (1-3, 6.53 ERA), who is falling off a strong execution in a 3-1 misfortune to the Atlanta Braves, where he permitted only two runs in six innings. This will be Kochanowicz’s most memorable profession start against the Blue Jays, and he’ll be hoping to expand on his new achievement.

Angels Seek to Turn the Tide

As the Angels attempt to stop their new slide, they’ll require both their new kid on the block pitcher and their freshman slugger to move forward. Niko Kavadas’ most memorable significant league homer has given the group a flash, however they’ll require more predictable hostile creation to contend with a Blue Jays group that has been finding its sweet spot. With Chris Bassitt on the hill for Toronto, the Angels will have a difficult, but not impossible task ahead as they hope to get back in the success segment and keep their blurring season finisher trusts alive.