In an old-timey rivalry, the Blue Jays travel to Comerica Park for a series vs the Tigers. With so much fun in Motown right now, you knew I had to choose this game for today's MLB expert picks.
Check out my Blue Jays vs Tigers preview and MLB expert picks for May 23 below:
Blue Jays vs Tigers Computer Pick & Game Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
| Blue Jays | -110 | -1.5 (+160) | O7.5 (-110) |
| Tigers | -110 | +1.5 (-190) | U7.5 (-110) |
Blue Jays vs Tigers Computer Pick: Tigers moneyline, Over 8.5 runs
The computer's got its mind made up. Scroll down to see how I've handicapped this one.
Blue Jays vs Tigers Notable Players To Watch
SP Kevin Gausman (TOR): Normally the Jays' ace, Gausman's been out of whack through nine starts. His -0.9 bWAR is atrocious and his 11.3 H/9 is a new career-high. Opposing teams are seeing the righty very well, giving even a weak offense like Detroit a chance to hang crooked numbers.
Jack Flaherty (DET): The righty has surged up the AL Cy Young odds board with fantastic play of late. Flaherty owns a 2.49 ERA over his last four starts.
Blue Jays vs Tigers Preview & Expert Pick — uNDER 7.5 Runs (-110)
I've living and dying on this UNDER bet, firstly because I still believe in Gausman, despite the crummy numbers. His splitter always plays well vs the Tigers, leading to active Detroit hitters batting just .221 against him. Offense will be hard to find today, mark my words.
Toronto's bats had a great day Wednesday, but Flaherty will put a stop to all the fun. As I said earlier, he's hot as hell and he's dominated the Jays in his career. Active Jays hitters own a weak .529 OPS against Flaherty. Justin Turner is just 3-for-15, so I recommend fading him as a prop bet Thursday.
Blue Jays vs Tigers Preview & Expert Pick No. 2 — Tigers ML (-110)
Flaherty isn't getting much help, sporting a 1-3 WL record this year, but Gausman gets even less help. The Jays are 4-4 SU in games Gausman starts, likely as a result of some of his poor early innings. When Kevin gets roughed up, it happens early. And once that goes down, the Jays almost never recover.
Need proof? For example, the Blue Jays rarely recover lost leads. This year, the club is 2-19 when trailing after six innings. The Jays are 2-21 when trailing after seven, and 1-22 when trailing after eight.
Toronto never rallies, which bodes well for our Flaherty-to-bullpen pipeline for a ML victory.
