Blue Jays vs. Guardians prediction and odds for Tuesday, Aug. 8 (Kikuchi should thrive)

The Toronto Blue Jays have won four straight games and are looking to make a run up the AL East standings when they take on the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday night. 

Cleveland is in the midst of a cold stretch, losing three straight and eight of its last 10 games. 

Tanner Bibee (7-2, 3.14 ERA) will look to be the stopper for the Guardians on Tuesday night against Toronto’s veteran lefty Yusei Kikuchi (9-3, 3.67 ERA). 

Here’s a look at the odds and my best bet for this matchup:

Blue Jays vs. Guardians odds, run line and total

Blue Jays vs. Guardians prediction and pick

The Guardians cannot hit left-handed pitching, and they’re a must-fade team in this spot. 

Cleveland ranks dead last in Major League Baseball in OPS against lefties, and the team was no-hit by lefty Framber Valdez last week, mustering just one walk in the game. 

Now, with Jose Ramirez facing a three-game suspension for his fight with Tim Anderson, the Cleveland offense is even worse off than normal. 

Kikuchi has pitched well in 2023, posting a 3.67 ERA on the season and really turning things on over the last few months with a 2.90 ERA since June 1. 

While his FIP is much higher than his ERA at 4.68, I don’t see this Cleveland lineup being the one to take advantage. 

I also wouldn’t mind a play on the UNDER, since Bibee (3.14 ERA, 3.87 FIP) has pitched well in 2023, but I’m just not sure he gets the run support necessary for Cleveland to win. 

The Jays are a top 10 offense in baseball in 2023 based on OPS, so I expect them to pull out a road win. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.