Ricky Romero will look to pay off for supporters on Friday when he takes to the mound for the Blue Jays against the Phillies in a Canada Day matchup.
Romero (7-7, 2.74 ERA) will be up against Philadelphia's Kyle Kendrick (4-4, 3.23 ERA) in the opener of this interleague series on Friday afternoon. Toronto is 5-5 in Romero's last 10 starts.
View Philadelphia vs Toronto Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Baseball odds makers opened the Blue Jays as -140 moneyline favorites in this matchup. Over under bettors saw the number open at 8.
Power Rankings:
According to new MLB Power Rankings here, it's the American League No. 5-ranked Blue Jays and the National League No. 1-rated Phillies in this matchup.
How They Match Up:
Scoring stats point to some edges in this matchup. The game features Toronto's American League No. 5-ranked scoring average of 4.5 runs per game, against a Phillies offense rated No. 8 and scoring 4 runs per game in the league. The Blue Jays have averaged 8.7 hits per game to date this season, more than the Phillies hitters have managed (8.2 per nine innings).
Toronto owns the American League's No. 10 defense, allowing 4.5 men per game to cross the plate. That contrasts with Philadelphia's National League No. 1-rated defense.
Philadelphia was a 5-2 loser in its last match at home against the Red Sox. They lost as -125 favorites, while the total score of 7 made winners of UNDER bettors. Philadelphia didn't get the job done in their last match, falling 5-2 to Boston on Thursday at Citizens Bank Park.
Last time out for Toronto, they were a 6-2 loser as they battled the Pirates at home. Moneyline bettors who got the Pirates at +138 were rewarded, while the 8 combined runs moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Toronto suffered a 6-2 loss against Pittsburgh on Thursday, as Brett Cecil wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Rogers Centre.
Philadelphia Phillies Trends:
When playing on Friday are 5-5
Before playing Toronto are 4-6
After playing Boston are 3-7
After a loss are 7-3
Toronto Blue Jays Trends:
When playing on Friday are 2-8
Before playing Philadelphia are 6-4
After playing Pittsburgh are 6-2
After a loss are 4-6
A few Phillies at Blue Jays trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Philadelphia's last 6 games
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Toronto
Philadelphia is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing on the road against Toronto
Philadelphia is 14-5 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Toronto's last 5 games at home
Toronto is 3-8 SU in its last 11 games at home
Toronto is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing Philadelphia
Next up:
Philadelphia at Toronto, Saturday, July 2
