MLB Picks Tonight: Can We Trust Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles Tonight?
The flame-throwing righty, Grayson Rodriguez, got off to a slow start to his career but has settled in a bit. Can he shut down the Toronto Blue Jays in the first game of this pivotal series? Let’s break it down.
Joey Ruiz - August 22, 2023, 5:05 PM EDT
5 minMLB Picks Tonight: Can We Trust Grayson Rodriguez, Orioles Tonight?
Grayson Rodriguez was one of the top prospects for the Baltimore Orioles coming into the season and, overall, was one of the top prospects in all of Major League Baseball. Rodriguez comes into tonight’s start against the Blue Jays with a record of 3-3 and a subpar 5.44 ERA and 1.41 WHIP, but it has been a tale of two halves for him.
Orioles vs. Blue Jays Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: August 22, 2023
- Time: 7:05 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays Prediction
When he was initially called up, he was hit extremely hard and was basically forced back into the minors due to his lack of success at the major league level, but this was a minor setback as he was not destined for the minor leagues for very long. On July 17th, he was recalled to the bug league club and has pitched very well over his last six starts since being recalled to the Orioles. Across his last five starts against the Tampa Bay Rays, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, and San Diego Padres (all thought to be potential playoff teams at the time), he compiled 30 and 2/3rds innings, 3/5 quality starts, and only allowed eight earned runs for an ERA of 2.35 while striking out 26 batters and walking just nine.
He has taken a huge step forward since being called up and should be able to continue his success tonight against the Blue Jays lineup, which is very potent/powerful but also very inconsistent. The Orioles as a team are also swinging hot bats at the moment as they are coming off a series sweep of the Oakland Athletics, where they scored 28 runs in that three-game series while only allowing seven. They will face Yusei Kikuchi, who has been solid this season, but I believe he is due for some negative regression. He faced Baltimore the first week of August and navigated around a lot of traffic as he allowed six hits and a walk scattered across six innings of work while only allowing one earned, but the Orioles should be able to convert those opportunities into runs/big hits this time around.
The Orioles have also been exceptional at home this season, in particular in the first game of the series. With that being said, I am rolling with Baltimore F5 ML at -106 and Baltimore Full Game ML at -112 for 1U each as my most confident MLB plays of the day for tonight’s action.
Baltimore Orioles vs. Toronto Blue Jays Picks
- 1U Baltimore F5 ML -106 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
- 1U Baltimore Full Game ML -112 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
MLB Odds
