The Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers square off in a three-game interleague series between two elite teams in their respective league.
Both teams have scuffled as of late - the Blue Jays are 6-9 for the season and 2-8 in their last 10 games, while the Brewers are now 8-7 after starting the season 8-2.
Today, both teams will start their ace: Kevin Gausman toes the rubber for Toronto and Jacob Misiorowski is on the mound for Milwaukee.
Both pitchers have played well to begin the season and it might be a low scoring game, but we'll try to find some hitters in advantageous matchups that could potentially go deep.
Be sure to read our partner authors' expert betting picks and predictions article for Blue Jays vs. Brewers on site.
Home runs require plenty of luck, as lots of things must go the hitter's way to get one out. The pitcher has to throw the ball in an advantageous spot for hitters, and the batters need to be on time and make perfect contact. Then there's the weather factor where winds or cold temps can slow balls down before they leave the stadium.
Luckily, playing in Milwaukee, we don't need to worry about weather as they have a roof. Let's find a few hitters that have been swinging the bat well against each respective starting pitcher's pitch mix.
Who Could Hit a Home Run in the Blue Jays vs. Brewers Game? – Apr. 14
Kazuma Okamoto - TOR (+900)
Misiorowski has two home runs this year, both on his fastball to right-handed hitters. Okamoto has hit two homers this year...off right-handed fastballs.
The rookie slugger hasn't fared well against all other pitches, but Miz throws a fastball 60% of the time anyways. Against the fastball in his last 10 balls put in play, Okamoto has a 40% fly ball rate, 60% hard-hit rate, and 40% pull rate - all good numbers for a potential home run.
Okamoto has been thinking too much at the plate to start his MLB career, whiffing on plenty of off-speed pitches. However, if the Miz gives him a fastball down the gut, Okamoto doesn't have to think as much to put his powerful barrel on the ball.
Daulton Varsho - TOR (+475)
Varsho is starting to heat up, hitting two homers in his last three games. Another fastball killer, he has a 70% hard-hit rate and 70% pull rate against the pitch in his last 10 fastballs he's put in play.
Varsho consistently put the ball in the air to start the year, but he struggled with his exit velocity up until recently. With the 70% pull rate, Varsho can let Misiorowski's high-velocity fastball carry the ball in the air for him, if he gets a barrel on it.
Garrett Mitchell - MIL (+500)
Mitchell has been tearing the cover off the baseball recently, and we'll look to target him today. Gausman has been phenomenal, but he only features two pitches - a splitter and a fastball, with each being thrown around 50% of the time.
Mitchell has been killing the fastball, and he just hit a splitter 105 miles per hour on Sunday against Zack Littell - albeit a groundout.
Milwaukee's center-fielder has a 80% hard-hit rate, a 50% pull rate, and a 30% fly ball rate against right-handed fastballs and splitters in the last 10 of those pitches he's put in play.
This article is not gambling advice, it's simply a fun discussion. All odds were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
