The Toronto Blue Jays head into Wednesday’s series finale against the Miami Marlins with momentum firmly on their side after an explosive offensive display at Rogers Centre.
Jesús Sánchez hit the first grand slam of his MLB career as the Blue Jays powered to an 8-1 victory on Tuesday night, snapping Miami’s four-game winning streak and strengthening market confidence in Toronto ahead of the rematch.
Sánchez — facing his former team — broke the game open in a six-run sixth inning with a 394-foot blast to right field, while Ernie Clement and Yohendrick Piñango also homered as Toronto’s lineup overwhelmed Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara.
Alcantara’s difficult run of form continued, with the former Cy Young winner allowing a season-high eight earned runs and 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander is now winless across his last six starts and fell to 0-3 in his career against Toronto.
George Springer also continued his strong recent form, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI as the Blue Jays improved to 7-10 against National League opponents this season.
Attention now turns to Wednesday’s pitching matchup, with Toronto expected to hand the ball to Kevin Gausman.
The veteran right-hander enters with a 4-3 record and a 3.23 ERA this season, while Miami is set to counter with Eury Pérez, who has gone 3-6 with a 4.91 ERA.
The pitching contrast — combined with Toronto’s offensive breakout on Tuesday — appears to be shaping sentiment on prediction markets ahead of first pitch.
Marlins vs Blue Jays prediction
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Toronto could also receive an additional boost if Vladimir Guerrero Jr. returns to the lineup. The Blue Jays slugger missed Tuesday’s win after being struck on the elbow by a pitch during Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh, though he was able to hit before the game.
For Miami, the challenge will be responding quickly after Tuesday’s collapse unraveled what had been a strong run of form. The Marlins had entered the series on a four-game winning streak before Toronto’s bats erupted in the middle innings.
If Tuesday’s performance is any indication, the Blue Jays may be finding their rhythm at the right time — and prediction markets appear to believe Toronto has the edge heading into Wednesday night’s finale.