Toronto Blue Jays vs. Pittsburgh Pirates MLB Betting Preview | September 2

The Toronto Blue Jays (70-59) visit the Pittsburgh Pirates (49-81) on Friday at 6:35 PM ET. The Blue Jays are favored (-245) against the underdog Pirates (+203). Toronto has Alek Manoah starting things off, while Pittsburgh will send out Johan Oviedo.

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Game Info, Betting Lines for Blue Jays vs. Pirates

• Game Day: Friday, September 2, 2022
• Game Time: 6:35 PM ET
• Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Stadium: PNC Park

Blue Jays Stats & Trends

Blue Jays Batting

• The Blue Jays average 1.2 home runs per game to rank ninth in baseball with 158 total home runs.
• The Blue Jays rank third in MLB with a .260 batting average.
• The Blue Jays rank fourth in the league with an on-base percentage of .324.
• The Blue Jays strike out 7.7 times per game to rank fourth in baseball.
• The Blue Jays have hit 74 homers away from home this season (1.2 per game).
• The Blue Jays are averaging 3.1 extra-base hits per game while slugging .419 on the road.
• The club is batting .261 with 575 hits (9.3 per game) on the road this season.

Blue Jays Key Batters

• Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has 143 hits to go with a slugging percentage of .504, both of which lead Toronto hitters this season.
• Among all qualifying hitters in the majors, Guerrero is 28th in batting average, 35th in on-base percentage, and 14th in slugging.
• Guerrero hopes to build on a three-game hitting streak in this matchup. In his last five games he is hitting .333 with two doubles, a home run, a walk and two RBI.
• George Springer has 17 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 42 walks while batting .266.
• Springer’s batting average ranks 56th among qualified players, his on-base percentage 44th, and his slugging percentage 32nd.
• Alejandro Kirk has 112 hits this season and a team-best OBP of .380.
• Kirk takes a two-game hitting streak into this game. During his last five outings he is hitting .167 with a home run, four walks and three RBI.
• Bo Bichette has 17 home runs, 66 RBI and a batting average of .260 this season.

Pirates Stats & Trends

Pirates Batting

• The Pirates have hit 128 homers this season, which ranks 18th in the league.
• The Pirates rank 29th in MLB with a team batting average of just .220.
• The Pirates are among the worst in the league at getting on base, ranking 28th with an OBP of .287.
• The Pirates rank just 28th in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 9.3 whiffs per contest.
• They’ve hit 59 homers, an average of 1.0 per game, in 62 home contests this season.
• They are slugging .363 in 62 home games this season.
• In 62 home games this season, they have a batting average of .223 while averaging 7.2 base hits per contest.

Pirates Key Batters

• Bryan Reynolds has totaled 108 hits with a .338 on-base percentage and a .457 slugging percentage, all club-highs for the Pirates.
• Including all the qualifying hitters in MLB, Reynolds ranks 76th in batting average, 58th in on-base percentage and 40th in slugging percentage.
• Reynolds enters this game on a four-game hitting streak. In his last five games he is hitting .300 with a triple and a walk.
• Ke’Bryan Hayes has 20 doubles, three triples, six home runs and 40 walks while hitting .243.
• Including all qualifying hitters, Hayes’ batting average puts him 97th, his on-base percentage is 102nd, and he is 133rd in slugging.
• Ben Gamel is batting .243 with 18 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and 36 walks.
• Michael Chavis has 13 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs and 14 walks while hitting .242.

Blue Jays vs. Pirates Probable Pitchers