Mariners vs. Blue Jays Prediction and Odds for Monday, May 16 (Blue Jays Remain Overvalued)

Two teams that are disappointed with their performance thus far will square off today as the 18-16 Toronto Blue Jays host the 15-19 Seattle Mariners at 7:07 PM EST.

These offenses are in a rut. Toronto is 1-6 in their last seven games as they're averaging just 2.85 runs per contest in that stretch, while the Mariners have averaged 2.77 runs per game en route to a 4-9 record over their previous 13.

Yusei Kikuchi will pitch for Toronto and he may be stabilizing after a rough start to the season. He's allowed only three earned runs over his last 11.1 innings but has discouraging underlying metrics overall.

Seattle will counter with Chris Flexen, who is coming off a five-inning disaster against the Phillies in which he allowed nine hits and six earned runs.

Can these offenses find their footing against a pair of uninspiring pitchers? Which squad has the edge?

Let's check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to help us pick a winner in this Mariners vs Blue Jays matchup:

Mariners vs Blue Jays Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

• Mariners +1.5 (-150)
• Blue Jays -1.5 (+125)

Moneyline:

• Mariners: +143
• Blue Jays: -153

Total:

• 8.5 (Over -120/Under +100)

Mariners vs Blue Jays Prediction and Pick

The Blue Jays offense can't really be this bad, can it? This is a loaded lineup featuring Vlad Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, George Springer, and Teoscar Hernandez, for crying out loud. How are they 28th in OPS in May?

They need to get things figured out quickly, as Toronto is already 7.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East and are trailing Tampa Bay too. But until they remember how to hit a baseball, they're going to continue to be an easy fade.

Over their last eight games as a favorite, the Blue Jays are 2-6. Kikuchi doesn't inspire much confidence today, either. He's in the fifth percentile in average exit velocity and walk rate and faces a Mariners lineup that's actually decent against left-handed pitchers. Seattle ranks 12th in OPS against southpaws and fifth in MLB in walks per game, so they can take advantage of Kikuchi's poor profile.

Chris Flexen has been solid except for his terrible last start. Prior to that debacle, he had a 2.60 ERA in his previous four outings. Seattle has the bullpen advantage as well and are 3-1 in their last four as an underdog, with the sole loss coming by one run.

I'll back the Mariners at +143. Toronto is overvalued based on high expectations entering the season that they haven't come close to meeting. They're 6-17 on the run line as a favorite and I'll keep fading them until their offense figures it out.

Pick: Mariners (+143)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.