Blue Jays vs. Tigers Prediction and Odds for Friday, June 10 (Home Run Derby in Store in Detroit)

The 23-33 Detroit Tigers host the 33-23 Toronto Blue Jays tonight at 7:10 PM EST in the first matchup of a three-game series.

Toronto is red-hot, winning 11 of their last 14 games, and send Jose Berrios to the mound. Berrios is 4-2 with a 5.24 ERA but has really struggled on the road, amassing a 7.28 ERA in six outings.

Detroit counters with Elvin Rodriguez, who is making his fourth career start. He got obliterated by the Yankees for 10 runs on four home runs in his last start and takes on another capable lineup today.

Can either starter post a solid outing? Should bettors just slam the over and ask questions later?

Before we do anything hasty, let's check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to analyze this Blue Jays vs Tigers matchup:

Blue Jays vs Tigers Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

• Blue Jays -1.5 (-120)
• Tigers +1.5 (+100)

Moneyline:

• Blue Jays: -195
• Tigers: +175

Total:

• 9.0 (Over +100/Under -120)

Blue Jays vs Tigers Prediction and Pick

Where should bettors feel confident placing their dollars in this game? When you go down the checklist, everything points in one clear direction: the over.

I honestly felt bad for Elvin Rodriguez last week against the Yankees. The poor rookie gave up 11 hits, 10 runs, and four blasts out of the park in just 4.1 innings of work. Perhaps manager AJ Hinch just wanted to teach him a lesson in resilience? Whatever the reason, Rodriguez is simply overmatched against the best lineups in the league.

Would you care to guess where Toronto ranks in OPS, runs scored, and most major offensive categories over the last three weeks? If you said first, congratulations on your deductive reasoning skills because that's absolutely correct. The Blue Jays are smoking everybody, and will be anxious to jump out to a hot start after having an off-day to mull over a series-ending loss to the pathetic Royals. There's not much reason to believe Rodriguez can prevent them from doing so.

So the obvious play is the Blue Jays on the run line, right? Eh, not so fast. Jose Berrios on the road isn't much better than Rodriguez and it wouldn't shock me to see the Tigers make him pay. Toronto has lost three of Berrios' last four road starts and Detroit is 5-2 in their last seven as a home underdog.

Even still, I cannot under any circumstances trust Rodriguez against this Toronto lineup. Since I can't trust Berrios either, we're rolling with the over. It's 12-3 in Toronto's last 15 games and has hit in four straight Berrios road starts. Neither team is strong defensively, and even though the bullpens will be rested, so will the hitters.

With the weather forecast calling for a nice day in Detroit, the ball should have no problem carrying. Rodriguez ranks in the second percentile in average exit velocity while Berrios is in the eighth. Expect to hear a loud pop of the bat early and often and roll with the over.

Pick: Over 9 (+100)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.