For much of the season, it appeared that the Toronto Blue Jays would not have a chance to repeat as American League champions, as they were 10 games under .500 as recently as July 28 and were sellers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. However, the club has gone 13-6 over its last 19 contests and is firmly in the playoff picture as it enters Wednesday just one-half game out of the third AL Wild Card spot.
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The Blue Jays (62-65) continue their surge toward a postseason berth when they visit the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays (75-50) at 6:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday for the middle contest of their three-game series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. Toronto was swept in its first set at Tampa Bay this year and won just two of its 10 overall contests against the Rays before rolling to a 10-5 victory in Tuesday's opener.
With the win, the Blue Jays kept pace with the Texas Rangers, who lead a race for the final AL Wild Card spot, which features seven teams that are separated by just three games. Toronto has not lost consecutive contests since enduring a four-game losing streak from July 19-22 that included three home losses against Tampa Bay.
The Rays are seeking their fifth division title in franchise history and first since 2021. Tuesday's defeat, which was their fourth in five outings, reduced their lead over the New York Yankees to five games.
Nine more games are on Wednesday evening's MLB schedule, including the middle contest of the three-game set between the Seattle Mariners (59-67) and major league-best Milwaukee Brewers (78-48) at 7:40 p.m. ET at American Family Field. The Brewers matched the modern-era record for the largest shutout in the opener as they demolished the Mariners 22-0. Milwaukee carried a 1-0 lead into the fifth before scoring at least five runs in three of its final four innings, sending Seattle to its eighth loss in 11 contests and pushing the club three games back in the battle for the third AL Wild Card.
The Baltimore Orioles (61-65) attempt to even their three-game series at one win apiece against the Yankees (70-55) when the AL East rivals meet at 6:35 p.m. ET at Camden Yards. Baltimore dropped a 3-1 decision in the opener to fall one game behind third-place Texas in the Wild Card standings. New York, which occupies the first Wild Card spot, is 6-2 in the season series.
The National League West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers (76-51) look to complete a three-game sweep when they visit Coors Field in Denver to take on the Colorado Rockies (50-76) at 8:40 p.m. ET. Los Angeles lost three of four against Milwaukee this past weekend but cruised to an 11-5 victory in the series opener and withstood a late comeback attempt to edge Colorado 7-6 on Tuesday.
The Rays are massive -200 money line betting favorites against the Blue Jays in the latest consensus MLB betting odds, while the Brewers are -120 betting favorites versus the Mariners. The Yankees are -119 favorites over the Orioles at sports betting apps and the Dodgers are -194 to win against the Rockies.
Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Wednesday, Aug. 19. All times Eastern
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Yankees at Orioles
Time: 6:35 p.m. | Location: Baltimore | TV: Prime Video
SportsLine pick -- Expert: Orioles +1.5 (-149, Matt Severance)
The Orioles produced just one run and four hits in the series opener as they suffered their second straight loss after having won three in a row. New York has posted back-to-back victories but has scored a total of nine runs over its last five contests. Baltimore right-hander Chris Bassitt has given up more than three runs only once in his past six starts and is 5-2 with a 2.06 ERA in nine career turns against the Yankees. SportsLine expert Matt Severance (171-106-2, +904.5 on his last 279 MLB picks) likes the Orioles to at least keep Wednesday's game close against righty Will Warren, who has posted a 6.63 ERA over his last four outings, and a New York bullpen that used five relievers to work four innings last night. He has the Orioles covering the spread betting line of +1.5.
Blue Jays at Rays
Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: St. Petersburg, Fla. | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Over 7.5 (+101) | Expert: Max Scherzer Under 15.5 outs recorded (-157, Alex Selesnick)
The Blue Jays are one of the lowest-scoring teams in the majors, as they are tied for 28th with 502 runs. But they erupted for 10 in the series opener and have combined with the Rays for at least eight in six of their past eight meetings. Each of Tampa Bay's last three contests have had 12 or more total runs scored. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn't believe Wednesday's matchup between the AL East rivals will be a low-scoring affair as the Over hits in 58% of its simulations. Toronto righty Max Scherzer has worked more than five innings in only four of his 10 starts this season, and SportsLine prop betting expert Alex Selesnick thinks an outing against one of the league's top offensive teams will prevent him from doing so on Wednesday.
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Mariners at Brewers
Time: 7:40 p.m. | Location: Milwaukee | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine pick -- Model: Over 7 (-116)
It's highly unlikely the Brewers will put on an offensive performance similar to the one they had Tuesday, when they tied the franchise single-game record of 22 runs. Milwaukee is one of the highest-scoring teams in the majors, however, as it ranks fifth with 630 runs. And even though the Mariners are last with 489, at least 15 total runs were scored in four of their last six contests. The SportsLine Projection Model feels Milwaukee and Seattle will approach double digits on Wednesday as its simulations have the Over hitting well over 63% of the time.
Dodgers at Rockies
Time: 8:40 p.m. | Location: Denver | TV: MLB.TV | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks -- Model: Under 11.5 (-120) | Expert: Kyle Freeland Under 17.5 outs recorded (-119, Angelo Magliocca)
Despite the 25.5-game gap between the NL West rivals in the standings, the Dodgers and Rockies are two of the top offensive teams in the majors. Los Angeles is fourth in runs scored (634) while the Rockies rank sixth (607). The clubs combined for 16 and 13 runs in the first two games of the series and have produced at least 13 in half of their 12 meetings this season. However, Dodgers righty Roki Sasaki has allowed three runs or fewer in each of his last six starts, a streak that began against Colorado on July 8. Colorado left-hander Kyle Freeland enters Wednesday with a 6.27 ERA and yielded at least six runs in both of his previous turns against Los Angeles this year, but he has given up a total of three earned runs over 21 1/3 innings in his three outings this month. The SportsLine Projection Model doesn't see the series finale reaching the dozen-run mark as the Under hits in almost 55% of its simulations. Although Freeland has worked eight or more innings in two of his last three starts, SportsLine expert Angelo Magliocca doesn't expect him to last six against the Dodgers as the 33-year-old pitched a total of nine frames in their first two encounters this season.
