Baseball Betting Preview: Kansas City Royals vs. Toronto Blue Jays Odds, Stats

The Toronto Blue Jays have upgraded their lineup and pitching staff over the past week leading up to Friday’s MLB trade deadline in an effort to close the gap on the Kansas City Royals, who are the consensus favorites to win the American League pennant and 2015 World Series at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

The Blue Jays will get to see how they match up with the defending AL champs as they continue a four-game series against the Royals on Friday. The series ends on Sunday with new acquisition David Price expected to pitch in the finale.

Price (9-4, 2.53 ERA), the top left-handed starting pitcher on the trade market after the Texas Rangers got Cole Hamels from the Philadelphia Phillies, was dealt from the Detroit Tigers to Toronto on Thursday for fellow southpaws Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd and Jairo Labourt. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports first reported the trade.

Earlier in the week, Kansas City picked up Johnny Cueto (7-6, 2.62) from the Cincinnati Reds, and he will make his debut for the team in Friday's Royals vs. Blue Jays betting matchup.

Toronto also picked up slugging shortstop Troy Tulowitzki (.305, 13 home runs, 56 RBI) in a separate deal with the Colorado Rockies on Monday, and he got off to a great start in his first game in the American League Wednesday with two doubles, a home run and three RBI from the leadoff spot in an 8-2 win over the Phillies.

The Blue Jays salvaged a split with lowly Philadelphia in their two-game set and will send Drew Hutchison (9-2, 5.42) to the mound opposite Cueto on Friday after they have won in seven of his last nine starts.

Saturday’s pitching matchup has Toronto’s Mark Buehrle (11-5, 3.29) squaring off against Yordano Ventura (5-7, 4.86) for the Royals, who have Edinson Volquez (10-5, 3.21) slated to start Sunday. Unlike last year when Kansas City squeaked into the playoffs as a wild-card team, this season the team is running away with the AL Central and appears to be a lock to make the postseason again.

The Royals had won four of five heading into Thursday’s series opener at Toronto, as their four-game winning streak ended with a 12-1 loss to the Cleveland Indians Wednesday. They are one of just eight teams in baseball with a winning record away from home and wrap up their current 10-game road trip with three at Detroit next week.