Blue Jays vs. Reds prediction and odds for Sunday, Aug. 20 (Back Toronto’s bullpen)

The Toronto Blue Jays have fallen out of the final wild card spot in the American League, but they are just half a game back of the Seattle Mariners. 

Seattle has a tough matchup with the Houston Astros on Sunday, so Toronto could pick up a game with a win over the Cincinnati Reds. 

Hyun Jin Ryu (1-1, 2.57 ERA) will make his fourth start of the season after returning from injury on Aug. 1. The lefty could be the X-Factor for Toronto making a playoff run this season. 

He’ll take on Reds youngster Hunter Greene, who hasn’t made a start since June 17 due to a hip injury. On the season, Greene is 2-4 with a 3.93 ERA and a 3.57 Fielding Independent Pitching. 

Greene is one of the most exciting starters in MLB because of how hard he throws, but does he have enough to shut down the Jays? 

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

Blue Jays vs. Reds odds, run line and total

Blue Jays vs. Reds prediction and pick

This is going to be an interesting pitching matchup since both starters are working their way back from injury. 

Ryu has yet to go more than five innings in a start this season, and he maxed out at 86 pitches in his last outing. 

That means we’re likely to see a ton of Toronto’s bullpen, which ranks fourth in Major League Baseball with a 3.49 ERA this season. 

Oddly enough these teams are eerily similar on offense as of late, ranking 24th (Cincy) and 25th (Toronto) in OPS over the last 15 days. That, coupled with two starters working their way back makes this game rather even. 

I can’t imagine the Reds pushing Greene too far in his first game back, especially since he’s likely the franchise’s cornerstone in the rotation. That will leave things up to a Cincy bullpen that has a 3.97 ERA on the season. 

Since Toronto has the edge in the bullpen battle, I lean with the Jays to pull off the road win on Sunday. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

Find Peter Dewey's betting record here.