Phillies vs. Blue Jays: Prediction, Props & Best Bets (6/8)

The high-flying Philadelphia Phillies cross the border to open a crucial series against Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.

The Phillies arrive in Toronto in excellent form, having won five of their last six games and nine of their last 12 overall.

Philly wrapped up their latest six-game homestand on Sunday with a commanding 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Since Don Mattingly took the reins as interim manager, Philadelphia has looked like a completely different team, playing to a 25-11 record under his leadership.

The Blue Jays, meanwhile, return home sitting at 32-34 on the season.

Toronto managed to salvage its recent road trip by taking two of three from Baltimore Orioles over the weekend, capped off by consecutive 6-4 wins on Saturday and Sunday.

With both historic clubs looking to secure structural positioning as the summer grind intensifies, this series opener carries significant weight for both sides.

Phillies vs. Blue Jays betting picks and predictions

Phillies -1.5 (+100)

A key catalyst for this Phillies hot streak is Cy Young candidate Cristopher Sánchez. He leads all qualified major league pitchers with a 1.46 ERA, ranks second with 103 strikeouts and carries a 1.09 WHIP.

Sanchez has surrendered just one single earned run over his last 46 innings pitched - a stretch that included 45 consecutive scoreless frames through May and the start of June before he finally blinked in the seventh inning of his last start.

The Blue Jays' hitters have historically struggled against the left-hander, putting together a 10-for-49 lifetime mark with no home runs and four doubles.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has fared the best, going 3-for-10 with a pair of doubles, but his power has vanished this season with just three home runs to his name.

Toronto will turn to 36-year-old veteran lefty Patrick Corbin to counter Sánchez. He enters with a 3.98 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP, but he has been far more vulnerable at Rogers Centre, pitching to a 4.74 ERA at home.

He is coming off a rough outing where he allowed four earned runs in five innings to the MLB-best Braves in Atlanta.

While the Phillies have been a frustrating squad for bettors against the spread on the road this year, the starting pitching mismatch is too glaring to ignore.

Expect Sánchez to stifle a Toronto lineup that ranks middle-of-the-pack at home, giving Philadelphia's offense plenty of breathing room to cover the run line at even money.

Under 7.5 total runs (-115)

While Philadelphia's offense hummed on Sunday, with Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Brandon Marsh and Alec Bohm all recording multi-hit games, the team has been a completely different entity outside of Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies rank dead last in baseball with a .207 batting average and a .621 OPS on the road. This drastic home-road split has made them an Under machine, going 28-35-2 against the total this season.

Furthermore, both of these offenses struggle when facing left-handed pitching, with both sides hitting sub-.225 with a sub-.680 OPS against southpaws this year.

Though Corbin struggled in his last outing against Atlanta, he was highly effective in May, pitching to a 3.60 ERA over 30 innings across six starts.

Additionally, both teams feature top-half bullpens to lock down the middle and late innings; Philadelphia ranks 12th with a 3.72 bullpen ERA, while Toronto sits right behind them at 14th with a 3.96 mark.

With Sánchez continuing his historic run of form and the Phillies struggling to manufacture explosive run production on the road, a low-scoring 4-1 Phillies victory keeps this game safely under the 7.5 line.

Alec Bohm to hit a home run (+625)

While Toronto rookie Kazuma Okamoto makes for a compelling option on the Blue Jays' side, leading the team with 13 home runs and entering June on a scorching 9-for-20 tear, the smarter money lies with backing the right-handed bats facing Corbin.

He has been hit hard by both sides of the plate, but righties have done the real damage when it comes to raw power, accounting for all six of the home runs Corbin has allowed this season.

This sets up perfectly for Alec Bohm, who has dominated the veteran left-hander throughout his career. Bohm is hitting a gaudy .370 with three doubles and two home runs in 27 career at-bats against Corbin. 

The Phillies' corner infielder has been excellent since May began, hitting over .280 with an OPS above .800 and launching six of his seven home runs during that stretch.

Bohm's splits lean heavily into this matchup as well, as he slugs .449 against left-handed pitching compared to just .305 against righties.

Rather than trying to guess if Okamoto can solve a Cy Young candidate like Sánchez, back Bohm to exploit his historical edge over Corbin and go yard.

Read more betting picks and predictions for the MLB on site.

Phillies vs. Blue Jays odds

Phillies	-180 ML
Blue Jays	+150 ML
Run Line	Phillies -1.5
Total	O/U 7.5

Phillies vs. Blue Jays player props

Player home run odds

Kyle Schwarber (PHI Phillies)	+310
Adolis Garcia (PHI Phillies)	+500
Bryce Harper (PHI Phillies)	+550
Trea Turner (PHI Phillies)	+550
J.T. Realmuto (PHI Phillies)	+600
Alec Bohm (PHI Phillies)	+625

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.