Mariners vs Blue Jays Picks & Odds: Toronto Favored In Wild-Card Series Opener

The Toronto Blue Jays (92-70) host a best-of-three wild-card series against the Seattle Mariners (90-72) in the first playoff meeting ever between the 1977 expansion twins. Seattle, in the postseason for the first time in over two decades, has won five straight meetings between the two teams. See below for more on this matchup, including a Mariners vs Blue Jays prediction.   

Join A Top-Tier MLB Betting Site Now

Mariners vs Blue Jays Sportsbook Odds

The home team opened as the favorite, although it’s the underdog Mariners who are attracting early money. Both teams enter the postseason on a bit of a roll. Toronto has won five of its last six games, while Seattle is 7-2 in its last nine. The total for this game is 7. The UNDER is 5-2 in the last seven head-to-head meetings.

Get the best Mariners vs Blue Jays odds and lines available from our recommended sportsbooks for your favorite picks of the night.

Starting Pitchers

Luis Castillo gets the ball for Seattle in Game 1 and this is exactly why Mariners management acquired him at the deadline. He is 4-2 in 11 starts with his new team and is coming off a dominant performance against Oakland. Castillo faced Toronto earlier this season as a member of the Reds and picked up the loss despite pitching well. 

The Jays will send ace Alek Manoah to the hill for the series opener. He won 16 games this season and finished with an ERA of 2.24, good for fourth best in all of baseball. Manoah went 4-0 in the month of September with an earned run average of 0.88 and hasn’t given up a run in 15 consecutive innings. 

It’s Showtime For J-Rod In Playoff Debut

Seattle Mariners fans are excited to finally return to the postseason for the first time since 2001. And the team is entering the second season on a hot streak with seven wins in its last nine contests. Rookie outfielder Julio Rodriguez has been building toward his playoff debut, hitting .394 since the start of September with seven home runs. 

But the Mariners will likely only go as far as pitching takes them. They had the eighth-best team ERA in the regular season and only the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres had more quality starts from their starting pitchers. 

Will the Jays’ Explosive Offence Show Up?

The Toronto Blue Jays finished the regular season with the best team batting average in the majors at .264 and recorded the fourth-most runs, trailing only the Dodgers, Yankees and Braves. They enter the playoffs having won eight of their last 11 games. 

This Jays team boasts a solid lineup from top to bottom with leadoff hitter George Springer being the spark that runs the engine. He has five multi-hit games in his last eight contests. And then there’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who had what many considered a “down” year, finishing with 32 home runs and 97 RBIs. And let’s not forget about Bo Bichette, who led the American League in hits this season.

Mariners Player Prop: Luis Castillo – OVER 5.5 Strikeouts (+120)

Since joining the Mariners, Castillo is averaging seven strikeouts per game and has at least seven Ks in seven of his 11 starts. Pitching is priority in the postseason and Castillo was brought to Seattle to pitch in meaningful baseball games like this. 

Blue Jays Player Prop: George Springer – To Steal A Base (+550)

Runs could be at a premium in this game, so if Springer gets on base at all, you know he will be looking to swipe a bag. He picked up 14 stolen bases during the regular season. It should also be noted that Castillo allowed a career-high 11 stolen bases this season.  

Mariners: Keys to Victory

Help for Julio. We know how much J-Rod loves the spotlight, but he won’t be able to win this series by himself. Eugenio Suarez torched Jays pitching this season, hitting .333 with three home runs in the seven meetings. If they can get to Manoah early and make this a bullpen game, then it’s advantage Seattle, meaning taking the road team when making your Mariners vs Blue Jays pick could be a decent play.  

Blue Jays: Keys to Victory

Offensive depth. If Toronto gets production from the bottom half of the lineup, look out. While everybody knows what the Jays’ big sluggers can do, they have a number of key pieces throughout their lineup. Like Castillo, Whit Merrifield was acquired by the Jays at the deadline. He is hitting .417 with four home runs in his last 14 games. If he continues that trend, the Mariners could be in trouble.  

MLB Computer Pick: Mariners +118 ML

Check out more of our signature MLB computer picks, plus our favorite sportsbooks that serve baseball customers.