Toronto Blue Jays vs Miami Marlins Picks and Predictions September 27th 2024

First pitch for this interleague matchup is set for 7:07 PM ET from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON. The Marlins have a record of 59-100 compared to the Blue Jays, who are 74-85. José Berrios will start for the Blue Jays, while the Marlins are starting Adam Oller.

Toronto comes into the game as the heavy favorite, with money line odds of -185, while the Marlins are sitting at +155. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs, and this one can be seen on BSFL.

Miami vs. Toronto Key Information

Making the start for the Marlins today is right-hander Adam Oller, who is coming off a short outing against the Braves. In that September 21st start, he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up two earned runs, coming away with a no-decision. Oller has made one quality start this year and has a record of 1-4 with a 5.06 ERA. Looking at his home/road splits, Oller has gone 0-2 on the road with a 5.40 ERA compared to 1-2 at home with a 5.29 ERA. Per nine innings, he is averaging 7.96 strikeouts and 4.82 walks.

The Marlins offense has been one of the worst in the league this season, averaging just 3.8 runs per game, which is 28th in the MLB. Miami has been even worse on the road, averaging only 3.4 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting .242, which is 14th in the league, and have the 23rd worst home run total in the league.

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Jake Burger has been the Marlins’ top power threat this season, as his 29 homers are 13th in the league. He also comes into the game on a hot streak, batting .300 with four homers over his last 10 games. Jesús Sánchez is also on a nice stretch, as he has homered 18 times this season and is currently on a five-game hitting streak.

José Berríos gets the start for the Blue Jays today and comes in with a record of 16-10 and an ERA of 3.38. Looking at his overall numbers, Berríos has made 31 starts, and opponents are batting .226 this season. He has turned in 21 quality starts, and his ERA at home is 2.94 compared to 4.68 on the road. Berríos has done a good job of limiting walks this season, coming in at 2.42 per nine innings. In his last outing, he took the loss, going six innings and giving up one earned run on six hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts.

So far this season, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. This is also the 20th best mark in the league. As a team, they are batting .242, which is 14th in the MLB, and have the 9th fewest strikeouts in the league. Toronto’s team on-base percentage is 9th in the league at .314.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of the league’s best hitters this season, as he is batting .325 with 30 home runs and 102 RBIs. He is also on a nine-game hitting streak in which he has gone 16/39 with two homers. George Springer is 2nd on the team with 19 homers but is batting just .219 for the season.

Our lean for a money-line pick would be to take the Marlins to come out on top. And despite our projections pointing to this being the 4th lowest-scoring game of today’s slate, we are leaning towards taking the over. The Blue Jays have the 4th worst home run projection, and José Berríos is 16th in our projections in starting pitcher strikeouts.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Eyes 200-Hit Club as Jays Face Marlins

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is on the brink of becoming the sixth Toronto Blue Jay to record a 200-hit season. Guerrero, who currently has a .325 batting average, just three hits shy of the milestone, will look to achieve the feat during the Blue Jays’ upcoming three-game series against the visiting Miami Marlins, starting Friday night.

Guerrero went 2-for-4 in the Jays’ 6-1 win over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday, helping Toronto (74-85) snap a five-game losing streak. The slugger trails only Bobby Witt Jr. (.332) in the MLB batting average race.

Blue Jays Look for Momentum

Despite Guerrero’s stellar season, the Blue Jays’ offense has struggled recently. Toronto went five consecutive games without a home run before rookie Jonatan Clase belted his first career homer in Wednesday’s victory. The 22-year-old rookie center fielder’s two-run shot came in the seventh inning.

“I know I can do different things for my team, but my main goal is just trying to get on base,” Clase said. “If I can get on base, I can help my team a lot.”

Alejandro Kirk extended his hitting streak to 17 games, batting .310 during the stretch, providing a rare bright spot in the Jays’ lineup.

Miami Entering Series with a Depleted Bullpen

The Miami Marlins (59-100) are heading into the final series of their season after a taxing 13-inning, 8-6 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night. The Marlins used seven relievers in the marathon contest, leaving their bullpen potentially stretched thin for the series opener against Toronto.

Former Blue Jays prospects Otto Lopez and Griffin Conine played pivotal roles in the Marlins’ extra-innings triumph. Lopez contributed a go-ahead double, while Conine added a two-run single in the 13th inning.

“It’s cool,” Conine said. “This is where we want to be in the future as an organization.”

Pitching Matchup: Berrios vs. Oller

Toronto will send right-hander José Berríos (16-10, 3.38 ERA) to the mound, aiming for his career-high 17th win. Berríos has faced the Marlins twice in his career, compiling a 1-1 record with a 4.09 ERA.

Miami will counter with right-hander Adam Oller (1-4, 5.06 ERA), who will make his second career start against the Blue Jays. Oller took the loss in his previous outing against Toronto in 2022, when he was with the Oakland A’s.

Former Jays Making an Impact for Marlins

Several former Blue Jays prospects have made a mark for the Marlins this season. Otto Lopez, who played briefly for Toronto in 2021 and 2022, has provided key contributions since joining the Marlins via waivers from the Giants. Griffin Conine, son of Marlins legend Jeff Conine, was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2018 but was traded to Miami in 2020. Both players played a role in Miami’s win over Minnesota on Thursday.

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Another former Marlin, right-hander Brett de Geus, could make an appearance for Toronto this weekend. The Blue Jays claimed de Geus off waivers earlier this month and added him to their roster on Wednesday. De Geus has a career 7.17 ERA over 58 major league appearances.