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Blue Jays remain AL East favourites despite bullpen struggles
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Meaningful baseball in September has arrived.
At the start of the 2025 season, all Toronto Blue Jays fans could hope for was the games in September to have some sort of meaning. And boy do they ever.
Toronto sits atop the American League East with a record of 79-59, sitting just two-and-a-half games clear of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox for the division lead.
AL East Standings
| Team | Record | Odds to win AL East |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Jays | 79-59 | -165 |
| Yankees | 76-61 | +260 |
| Red Sox | 77-62 | +400 |
Toronto's bullpen has been a talking point in recent weeks, allowing 5.65 walks per nine innings over the last 30 days, with closer Jeff Hoffman blowing back-to-back saves and allowing four home runs in his past 3.1 innings.
Despite the struggles, Toronto's -165 odds to win the AL East come with an implied probability of 62.26 per cent and are -130 (56.52 per cent) to earn a first-round bye as one of the two best teams in the American League.
Team to Earn First Round Bye - American League 2025
| Team | Odds |
|---|---|
| Detroit Tigers | -800 |
| Toronto Blue Jays | -130 |
| New York Yankees | +300 |
| Houston Astros | +390 |
| Boston Red Sox | +460 |
Blue Jays vs. Reds Game Preview
The Blue Jays are back in action Tuesday night priced at -106 to beat the Cincinnati Reds.
Toronto dropped the opening game of this series against the Reds 5-4 after taking the lead in the ninth inning and getting walked off.
Jose Berrios gets the start for Toronto. In 27 starts this season he is 9-5 with a 3.95 ERA.
Berrios’ strikeout prop sits at 4.5 on FanDuel, with the under priced at -122. The 31-year-old had 18 strikeouts in the four starts he made in August, going over this number twice.
Toronto will see 27-year-old Nick Lodolo on the mound tonight. Despite this being the 72nd start of his career, only six players on Toronto’s roster have a plate appearance against him.
**UPDATE** He's been scratched***
Myles Straw and Tyler Heineman are the only two players with a hit off Lodolo in their career, with Straw 2-for-3 against him and Heineman 1-for-2.
Coming off a four-hit game on Monday, Bo Bichette is -380 to get a hit tonight.
Monday was Bichette’s fifth game this season with four or more hits, and the four previous times he has followed it up with at least one hit in his next game.
Bichette’s hottest stretch of the season came in late July when he followed up a five-hit game with a four-hit game the next day. The shortstop is +600 to record at least three hits again today.