TORONTO vs SAN ANTONIO
When: 12/26/2020 8:30 PM
Where:

TV: 8:30 PM
LINE: 1.5
PREDICTION: SAN ANTONIO , TORONTO

Oddsmakers currently have the SAN ANTONIO listed as 1.5 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 226.

The San Antonio Spurs were super sharp in their first action of the year and look to carry the momentum from a solid season-opening road win when they host the Toronto Raptors on Saturday in the Alamo City.

The Spurs are coming off a dominating 131-119 win at Memphis on Wednesday. All five of the Spurs’ starters tallied at least 16 points and seven players in all were in double-figure scoring in the victory, the 20th in the past 22 season-openers for San Antonio.

DeMar DeRozan scored 28 points to lead a balanced offensive attack as San Antonio (1-0) used a 14-0 run in the middle of the second quarter to take charge of the game. The Spurs led by as many as 15 in the period, and Memphis never got closer than seven points over the final 30 minutes.

“Our young guys competed hard, really showed themselves well for the first game we played together,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I don’t think we got back really well the last six, seven minutes of the game. But, fortunately, we were able to continue scoring.”

Dejounte Murray added 21, LaMarcus Aldridge poured in 20 points, Keldon Johnson and Lonnie Walker IV each scored 16, Patty Mills 13, and Rudy Gay 10 points for San Antonio.

“We got a little sloppy toward the end,” Murray said. “But we fought, we played together, and we made it happen, and we came out with a win.”

San Antonio went 25-for-29 from the free throw line, with DeRozan 14-for-15.

The Raptors will try to get on track after a 113-99 loss to New Orleans in Tampa in their season opener. Toronto will play at least 17 games of the campaign with Tampa as its home base because of COVID-19 and the travel restrictions between the United States and Canada.

Pascal Siakam had 20 points for the Raptors (0-1) while Kyle Lowry finished with 18, Norman Powell and Chris Boucher 12 each off the bench, and Aron Baynes 11 points in the loss.

“I thought that there was a long stretch of the game, take the turnovers out of it, where the offense was really cooking good,” Toronto coach Nick Nurse said. “The shots were there and the execution was there, there were some really good ball movement plays and things like that, but we just had too many unforced errors.”

Toronto was outscored 38-22 in the third quarter and 63-42 in the second half, relying too much on the 3-point shot to try to get back in the game. The Raptors missed all 10 long-distance shots they took in the third quarter and were just 14 of 46 from beyond the arc in the game.

“Obviously, we have to knock them down as a team and then we just can’t go through times like that when we don’t make shots and we don’t stop them either,” Siakam said. “So that’s the problem. I think, at the end of the day, those shots are going to be there and we need to take them.”

The two teams split their series last year. The Spurs own a 34-14 all-time edge over Toronto, including a 19-5 mark in games played in San Antonio.

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TORONTO vs TAMPA BAY
GAME: Toronto Blue Jays (21-33) at Tampa Bay Rays (32-19)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, May 28 – 7:10 PM EST
WHERE: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida

TV: 7:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet (Toronto), TVA Sports (Toronto), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
LINE:
PREDICTION: Rays 7, Blue Jays 4

Oddsmakers currently have the TAMPA BAY listed as point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at .

The Tampa Bay Rays are stinging the ball during a stretch of five wins in six games, bringing the team a season-best 13 games over .500. The Rays will try to keep the hits coming and earn another series win when they host the Toronto Blue Jays in the second of a three-game series on Tuesday.

Tampa Bay (32-19) has scored at least six runs in each of the last five wins and leadoff man Austin Meadows sparked the offense the last two days while going 7-for-9 with two homers and six RBIs, lifting his batting average to .351 and slugging percentage to .679. “Meadows has been incredible,” Rays manager Kevin Cash told reporters after Monday’s win. “Had three hits and finished it off with a home run. He’s seeing the ball really, really well.” The slumping Blue Jays are losers of 19 of their last 26 games and have watched the pitching staff allow at least six runs in each of the last six setbacks. Veteran left-hander Clayton Richard will try to turn things around for the Toronto staff when he goes up against an opener for the Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays LH Clayton Richard (0-0, 2.25 ERA) vs. Rays RH Ryne Stanek (0-1, 3.18)

Richard made his season debut against Boston on Thursday and yielded one run on two hits in four innings without factoring in the decision. The 35-year-old was designated for assignment by the San Diego Padres during spring training and made a start for Triple-A Buffalo before being returning to the majors last week. Richard spent most of his career in the National League and owns a 0.79 ERA in three career games – one start – against Tampa Bay.

Rays right-hander Ryne Stanek, who owns a 1.64 ERA in 14 starts when used as an opener, is expected to get the ball first on Tuesday, but the bulk of the innings are likely to go to Yarbrough. The 27-year-old Yarbrough was recalled from the minors last week and started at Cleveland on Thursday, allowing two runs and four hits in 7 1/2 innings to earn a win. Yarbrough worked two perfect relief innings to get the win at Toronto on April 12, striking out one.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays RHP Aaron Sanchez (nail avulsion) was removed from his start on Monday after 64 pitches.

2. Rays OF Tommy Pham is enjoying a 13-game hitting streak.

3. The top four hitters in the Toronto lineup combined to go 0-for-14 with six strikeouts on Monday.

PREDICTION: Rays 7, Blue Jays 4

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TORONTO vs TAMPA BAY
GAME: Toronto Blue Jays (21-32) at Tampa Bay Rays (31-19)
DATE/TIME: Monday, May 27 – 1:10 PM EST
WHERE: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida

TV: 1:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, Sportsnet One (Toronto), FS Sun (Tampa Bay)
LINE:
PREDICTION: Rays 4, Blue Jays 2

Oddsmakers currently have the TAMPA BAY listed as point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at .

Austin Meadows looks to follow his second four-hit performance of the season with another big effort when the Tampa Bay Rays host the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday afternoon for the opener of their three-game series. The 24-year-old Meadows went 4-for-4 with a leadoff homer and three RBIs on Sunday to improve his batting average to .341 as the Rays knocked off Cleveland 6-3.

“He certainly looks locked in – hitting the ball the other way, hitting it out of the ballpark, pulling it down the right-field line,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash told reporters of Meadows, who went 5-for-12 with two homers in three games against Toronto last month. “He’s seeing the ball well, it seems like, every time he’s walked to the plate when he’s been healthy. …. He’s been huge for us.” Yonny Chirinos is expected to make the start Monday for the Rays, who are a season-high 12 games over .500, while the Blue Jays counter with Aaron Sanchez. Toronto took out its frustration from a four-game losing streak, during which the pitching staff gave up 39 runs, by rolling to a 10-1 victory over San Diego on Sunday as Lourdes Gurriel Jr. homered for the third straight day since being recalled. Gurriel has gone 6-for-10 and scored five runs over his last three games while Cavan Biggio, the son of Hall-of-Famer Craig Biggio, belted a solo homer among his first three major-league hits in Sunday’s triumph.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (3-4, 3.79 ERA) vs. Rays RH Yonny Chirinos (5-1, 3.20)

Sanchez is winless in five outings this month but posted two quality starts in that stretch after holding Boston to two runs over six innings of a no-decision on Wednesday. The 26-year-old Californian owned a 2.32 ERA through the end of April but has gone 0-3 with a 5.54 mark this month. Kevin Kiermaier is 5-for-14 with a pair of homers against Sanchez, who went 1-1 with a 4.66 ERA in two starts versus the Rays last year.

Chirinos is slated to make his fifth start of the season after going 2-1 with a 2.49 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 25 1/3 innings in his first four. The 25-year-old Venezuelan has allowed three runs over 12 1/3 frames in his last three outings and issued just eight walks in 50 2/3 overall innings this year. Luke Maile is 2-for-5 with a homer versus Chirinos, who gave up six runs and seven hits over 2 1/3 frames in his worst performance of the season on April 12 at Toronto.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays 1B Justin Smoak has belted five homers in as many games, collecting nine RBIs during that stretch.

2. Tampa Bay LF Tommy Pham has hit safely in 12 straight contests, going 15-for-49 during the streak.

3. Toronto 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. recorded three hits on Sunday after going 0-for-11 over his previous three contests.

PREDICTION: Rays 4, Blue Jays 2

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SAN DIEGO vs TORONTO
GAME: San Diego Padres (28-24) at Toronto Blue Jays (20-32)
DATE/TIME: Sunday, May 26 – 1:07 PM EST
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, FS San Diego, Sportsnet, Sportsnet One, TVA, OMNI (Toronto)
LINE: 115
PREDICTION: Padres 3, Blue Jays 2

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as 115 point favorites versus the SAN DIEGO, while the game’s total is sitting at 8.

The hype train was churning at full steam last month when the Toronto Blue Jays called up Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the top prospect in baseball. San Diego has a pretty fair rookie of its own in right-hander Chris Paddack, who entered the weekend with the third-lowest ERA in the majors and will take the mound as the Padres go for a three-game sweep in Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

While Paddack has been a revelation for San Diego, the offense has earned the headlines versus the Blue Jays by mashing 10 homers, including a franchise-record seven in Saturday’s 19-4 romp that pushed the team’s winning streak to five games. Austin Hedges broke open Saturday’s matchup with a grand slam – his second homer in as many days – and Hunter Renfroe went deep twice among his four hits to give him three blasts and six RBIs in the series. While the Padres came up one run shy of tying the club record, Toronto has been outscored 39-14 during a four-game slide to fall to 6-18 in its last 24 contests. Justin Smoak has homered in three of the past four games and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. went deep for the second straight day for the Blue Jays, who will take a 9-18 home record into the series finale.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Padres RH Chris Paddack (4-2, 1.93 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (2-6, 2.81)

Paddack bounced back from his worst start of the season with a superb effort last time out, beating Arizona on Monday by striking out seven and permitting one run along with five hits over six innings. Not only is he holding opposing batters to a .156 average, but the 23-year-old has the lowest ERA through his first nine starts of any pitcher in franchise history. Paddack, who has registered 56 strikeouts against only 11 walks over 51 1/3 innings, has made four road starts and is 1-1 with a 2.75 ERA.

Stroman earned his first victory in more than a month Tuesday, overcoming a season-worst six walks to limit Boston to one run and five hits over six innings. That ended a five-start winless drought for the former first-round draft pick, who also turned in a strong effort in his previous outing with six innings of two-run ball (one earned) in a no-decision at the Chicago White Sox. Eric Hosmer is 4-for-11 against Stroman, who is 1-4 in seven starts at Rogers Centre despite a stellar 2.43 ERA.

WALK-OFFS

1. Hosmer is 7-for-15 with two homers, six RBIs and six runs scored during a four-game hitting streak.

2. Guerrero is 0-for-11 in the last three games.

3. Padres 1B/OF Wil Myers broke out of a 2-for-24 rut with two homers and four RBIs Saturday.

PREDICTION: Padres 3, Blue Jays 2

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BOSTON vs TORONTO
GAME: Boston Red Sox (25-23) at Toronto Blue Jays (20-28)
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, May 22 – 7:07 PM EST
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
LINE: 135
PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as 135 point favorites versus the BOSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 9.5.

After Boston rolled to a 10-run victory in the series opener at Toronto, the Red Sox improved to 14-5 while the Blue Jays fell to 5-14 over their past 19 games. Toronto exacted a bit of revenge with a 10-3 drubbing on Tuesday and will look to post back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly a month in the third of a four-game set versus visiting Boston on Wednesday night.

Rowdy Tellez did the bulk of the damage, ending a 14-game homerless drought with a pair of blasts and five RBIs to extend his hitting streak to six games. Randal Grichuk also homered and Brandon Drury had a pair of hits and three RBIs as the Blue Jays won for only the second time in their last eight home games. The Red Sox clubbed three homers in Tuesday’s loss to give them seven for the series but they were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left 10 on base. Jackie Bradley Jr., who arrived in Toronto batting .144, and Rafael Devers have each gone deep in back-to-back contests for Boston.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Rick Porcello (3-4, 4.80 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (3-4, 3.88)

Porcello watched a stellar effort turn into a loss last time out against Houston when he served up a two-run homer in the eighth inning to end his five-start unbeaten streak. Since he was battered for 19 runs in losing his first three starts of the year, he has shaved more than six runs off his ERA while permitting three runs or fewer in five of his six outings. Porcello was 1-2 with an ugly 9.15 ERA in four starts against the Blue Jays last year and must be wary of Justin Smoak, who has five homers in 40 at-bats against him.

Sanchez has been bothered by blisters throughout his career and the issue resurfaced in his last outing, when he settled for a no-decision after giving up two runs and three hits in three-plus innings at the Chicago White Sox. He lost each of his previous three starts, giving up a combined 13 runs and four homers, although he struck out a season-high 11 versus Chicago on May 12. Sanchez is winless in his last six starts versus Boston since the start of 2017 after giving up four runs in five innings on April 11.

WALK-OFFS

1. Red Sox 1B/DH Mitch Moreland swatted his team-high 13th homer and is 10 shy of matching his career best.

2. The Blue Jays placed RH Ryan Tepera (elbow) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

3. Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez missed his second straight game due to a reported illness.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 4

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BOSTON vs TORONTO
GAME: Boston Red Sox (25-22) at Toronto Blue Jays (19-28)
DATE/TIME: Tuesday, May 21 – 7:07 PM EST
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 7:07 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), Sportsnet One (Toronto)
LINE: 145
PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 3

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as 145 point favorites versus the BOSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 8.5.

The Boston Red Sox’s recent offensive resurgence hit a bit of a lull over the weekend, but it returned in full force in the opener of a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Red Sox hope to carry over the momentum generated from their fourth double-digit offensive output in less than three weeks on Tuesday, when they play the second contest of the four-game set in Toronto.

Boston scored at least two runs in five different innings, received three-hit efforts from Mitch Moreland, Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers and clubbed four home runs en route to a 12-2 rout of its American League East rival on Monday. The Red Sox, who were held to a total of eight runs while dropping two of three to Houston in their previous series, improved to 12-5 while outscoring their opponents 116-57 this month. The Blue Jays own the worst team batting average in the major leagues (.217) and did not help themselves in that regard with their performance in the series opener, finishing with only three hits in 31 at-bats. Luke Maile’s two-run blast accounted for all of the offense for Toronto, which has dropped 14 of 19 since beginning the season 14-14.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH Eduardo Rodriguez (4-2, 4.89 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (1-6, 2.95)

Rodriguez registered a season-high 10 strikeouts and remained unbeaten since April 4 following Wednesday’s effort against Colorado despite allowing five runs and nine hits in six innings. The outing was a bit of an uncharacteristic one of late for the 26-year-old, who is 4-0 with a 3.46 ERA in his last seven turns and has watched his offense score at least six runs in each outing. Rodriguez hasn’t surrendered a homer in a career-best five straight starts and owns a 4.34 ERA in 12 career appearances (11 starts) versus Toronto.

Stroman’s winless streak reached five games despite a solid performance in Chicago on Thursday, settling for a no-decision after yielding two runs – one earned – over six innings against the White Sox. The Duke product was able to rediscover the form he flashed in April (1.76 ERA) after struggling in his first three turns this month and has permitted fewer than two earned runs in half of his 10 outings. Bogaerts (11-for-31, two homers) and Moreland (5-for-13) have tormented Stroman, who is 4-3 with a 3.87 ERA in 12 career starts versus Boston.

WALK-OFFS

1. Boston has won each of the last 16 games in which it scored at least five runs after opening the season 4-5 in such contests.

2. Four of Maile’s 10 career home runs have come against the Red Sox, who selected him in the 43rd round of the 2009 draft.

3. Boston OF Jackie Bradley Jr. belted a two-run homer in the sixth inning on Monday, ending his regular-season drought of 152 at-bats dating back to last season.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 3

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BOSTON vs TORONTO
GAME: Boston Red Sox (24-22) at Toronto Blue Jays (19-27)
DATE/TIME: Monday, May 20 – 1:07 PM EST
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, MLB Network, NESN (Boston), Sportsnet (Toronto)
LINE: 190
PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 3

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as 190 point favorites versus the BOSTON, while the game’s total is sitting at 9.5.

The Boston Red Sox fell short in their first test against the Houston Astros over the weekend but managed to salvage the finale and stay above .500 as they put the pieces together. The Red Sox will try to avoid looking ahead to another showdown in Houston next weekend when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday in the opener of a four-game series.

Boston, which is beginning a stretch of 14 of 17 on the road, dropped the first two over the weekend to the Astros but battled back from an early deficit to earn a 4-3 victory on Sunday and improve to 24-22. The Red Sox are still trying to figure out the structure of the bullpen since the offseason departures of Joe Kelly and Craig Kimbrel and may have found someone to pitch in high-leverage spots in right-hander Marcus Walden, who came on with the bases loaded in the sixth and got out of the jam before handing it off to Matt Barnes and Brandon Workman. The Blue Jays dropped 13 of their last 18 games but are coming off a 5-2 victory at the Chicago White Sox on Sunday and will play the next seven at home, where they are 8-13. The weekend against the Astros helped make it clear that the Red Sox are one elite starter short of the team they were last season, and they are set to add just such an arm on Monday, when left-hander David Price (elbow) comes off the injured list to make the start opposite well-traveled righty Edwin Jackson.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox LH David Price (1-2, 3.75 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Edwin Jackson (0-0, 3.60)

Price was riding a string of four consecutive solid starts when he went down but was winless in his last three outings. The former Cy Young Award winner surrendered three runs on seven hits in six innings at the Chicago White Sox on May 2 before going on the injured list. Price made four starts against Toronto in 2018 and earned the win in all four, posting a 2.63 ERA while striking out 25 in 24 total innings.

Jackson set a major league record by appearing for his 14th team when he made his Blue Jays debut at San Francisco on Wednesday. The 35-year-old allowed three runs – two earned – on six hits and a walk in five innings while striking out a pair in the no-decision. Jackson last faced Boston as a member of the San Diego Padres in 2016 and is 3-4 with a 4.64 ERA in 15 career games – 12 starts – against the Red Sox.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays rookie 3B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered four times in the last six games.

2. Workman earned his first career save on Sunday.

3. Red Sox 3B Rafael Devers is 1-for-16 with five strikeouts in the last four games.

PREDICTION: Red Sox 5, Blue Jays 3

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TORONTO vs CHI WHITE SOX
GAME: Toronto Blue Jays (17-26) at Chicago White Sox (20-22)
DATE/TIME: Friday, May 17 – 8:10 PM EST
WHERE: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet One (Toronto), NBCS Chicago
LINE: -105
PREDICTION: White Sox 7, Blue Jays 4

Oddsmakers currently have the CHI WHITE SOX listed as -105 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 9.5.

After enjoying their only scheduled day off this month, the Chicago White Sox began a stretch of 18 consecutive days with a game in winning fashion. They look to post their fifth victory in six overall contests when they continue their four-game home series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday.

Chicago opened May by playing 15 games in 14 days and finally received a rest on Wednesday before kicking off another busy stretch with a 4-2 triumph over Toronto on Thursday. Ryan Cordell went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, including one on a tiebreaking squeeze bunt in the eighth inning, as the White Sox posted their third straight win over the Blue Jays since losing the opener of the season series last Friday. Freddy Galvis belted a solo home run for Toronto, which recorded only two hits as it fell for the 12th time in 15 contests. The 29-year-old Venezuelan shortstop has driven in a run in three consecutive games and four of his last five.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (3-4, 3.75 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Ivan Nova (2-3, 6.29)

After winning his final two decisions in April, Sanchez has lost all three of his starts this month. The 26-year-old Californian’s latest setback occurred at home on Sunday, when he registered a season-high 11 strikeouts but surrendered five runs and nine hits over six innings against the White Sox. The defeat dropped Sanchez to 0-1 with a 4.35 ERA in five career games (three starts) versus Chicago.

Nova’s season has been the opposite of Sanchez’s, as he lost all three of his decisions last month but has won both of them in May. The 32-year-old Dominican allowed one run and five hits over six innings in a victory at Toronto on Saturday, improving to 2-1 in four starts this season in which he yielded a single run. Nova, who has surrendered 12 runs over eight frames in two turns at home this season, is 6-7 with a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts and two relief appearances versus Toronto in his career.

WALK-OFFS

1. White Sox OF Leury Garcia has hit safely in six of his 14 games this month, recording multi-hit performances in each contest.

2. Chicago LHP Manny Banuelos left his outing on Wednesday with a strained left shoulder and is day-to-day but could make his next scheduled start on Monday in Houston as an MRI exam came back clean.

3. Toronto recalled SS Richard Urena from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday while optioning Teoscar Hernandez and sending fellow OF Socrates Brito outright to the Bisons.

PREDICTION: White Sox 7, Blue Jays 4

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TORONTO vs CHI WHITE SOX
GAME: Toronto Blue Jays (17-25) at Chicago White Sox (19-22)
DATE/TIME: Thursday, May 16 – 8:10 PM EST
WHERE: Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, Illinois

TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet, Sportsnet One (Toronto), NBCS Chicago-Plus
LINE: 100
PREDICTION: Blue Jays 6, White Sox 4

Oddsmakers currently have the CHI WHITE SOX listed as 100 point favorites versus the TORONTO, while the game’s total is sitting at 9.

The Chicago White Sox came up short in their bid for a season-high fourth straight win as another member of their starting rotation was dealing with an ailment, but they will get no sympathy from the pitching-strapped Toronto Blue Jays. The White Sox will host the Blue Jays in the opener of a four-game set on Thursday after taking two of three in Toronto last weekend.

In a week where starter Carlos Rodon and reliever Nate Jones underwent season-ending surgeries, Chicago also saw left-hander Manny Banuelos exit Tuesday’s 9-0 loss to Cleveland with a shoulder strain. “Every team goes through it,” catcher James McCann said. “You look at teams that stay healthy, a lot of times they’re playoff teams. They can count on five, six guys throughout the course of a season.” That certainly is not the case with the Blue Jays, who have four starting pitchers on the injured list and fell to 3-11 in their last 14 games with Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at San Francisco. The primary reason for optimism in Toronto is 20-year-old Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who clubbed a pair of home runs — his first in the majors — in Monday’s 7-3 victory over the Giants.

PITCHING MATCHUP: Blue Jays RH Marcus Stroman (1-6, 3.12 ERA) vs. White Sox RH Dylan Covey (0-2, 5.91)

Stroman was demonstrably upset when he was removed from last week’s matchup versus the White Sox and was charged with four runs (three earned) and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings in losing his third consecutive start. Although he has been tagged for 15 runs during the three-start slide, Toronto has provided him with a paltry eight runs of support in nine appearances. Jose Abreu is 6-for-22 with a homer off Stroman, who fell to 2-4 with a 5.28 ERA in eight starts against Chicago.

Covey will make his third start since he was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte and will look to improve upon last weekend’s listless outing against the Blue Jays, when he served up two homers and allowed four runs on three hits and five walks in 4 2/3 innings. Randal Grichuk had the big blow versus Stroman with a three-run homer in the first inning. He also pitched 4 2/3 innings in his previous turn versus Boston and did not factor in the decision after permitting two runs on five hits.

WALK-OFFS

1. Blue Jays SS Freddy Galvis has four doubles during a six-game hitting streak.

2. White Sox SS Tim Anderson was 5-for-12 with two homers and four RBIs versus Toronto last weekend.

3. Grichuk has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games.

PREDICTION: Blue Jays 6, White Sox 4

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CHI WHITE SOX vs TORONTO
GAME: Chicago White Sox (17-21) at Toronto Blue Jays (16-23)
DATE/TIME: Sunday, May 12 – 1:07 PM EST
WHERE: Rogers Centre, Toronto, Ontario

TV: 1:07 p.m. ET, WGN (Chicago), Sportsnet, OMNI, TVA (Toronto)
LINE: -130
PREDICTION: White Sox 3, Blue Jays 1

Oddsmakers currently have the TORONTO listed as -130 point favorites versus the CHI WHITE SOX, while the game’s total is sitting at 9.

The Chicago White Sox found some offense and snapped a three-game slide on Saturday with a 7-2 triumph, rallying for multiple runs in three separate innings. The White Sox will try to continue scoring in bunches and earn a series win when they visit the Toronto Blue Jays for the finale of a three-game series on Sunday.

Chicago scored three or fewer runs in seven of the previous eight games – going 2-6 in that span – but registered 11 hits on Saturday and opened up a tight game with two runs in the seventh inning and two more in the eighth. Catcher James McCann went 4-for-5 with two runs scored in the victory to push his batting average to .376 and give him multiple hits in five of his last nine starts. The Blue Jays are struggling on offense and pushed across a run in just five of the last 47 innings while falling to 2-9 in their last 11 games. Toronto, which topped three runs twice in those 11 games, will try to muster some support on Sunday for right-hander Aaron Sanchez while the White Sox counter with righty Lucas Giolito.

PITCHING MATCHUP: White Sox RH Lucas Giolito (3-1, 4.06 ERA) vs. Blue Jays RH Aaron Sanchez (3-3, 3.21)

Giolito turned in his best start of the season at Cleveland on Tuesday, scattering three hits over 7 1/3 scoreless innings while matching a season high with eight strikeouts. The 24-year-old missed two weeks with a hamstring strain but has been solid since his return, yielding a total of three runs in 12 1/3 frames. Giolito was ripped for five runs and nine hits across 4 1/3 innings by Toronto on July 28 last season but escaped without a decision.

Sanchez worked a season-high seven innings against Minnesota on Tuesday and was reached for three runs on six hits – one homer – and three walks in a loss. The outing marked the second quality start of the season for the 26-year-old, who failed to go more than five innings in any of his previous three turns. Sanchez struck out seven in a quality start at home against Chicago last season, yielding three runs in six frames without factoring in the decision.

WALK-OFFS

1. The Blue Jays acquired RHP Edwin Jackson from the Oakland Athletics on Sunday and will become Jackson’s record 14th team.

2. Chicago SS Tim Anderson, who was the American League Player of the Month for March/April, is 8-for-38 in May.

3. Toronto CF Randal Grichuk homered in each of the first two games of the series.

PREDICTION: White Sox 3, Blue Jays 1

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