The Toronto Blue Jays will begin their final series before the All-Star break on Friday in Arizona against the Diamondbacks.

It may be a case of too little, too late, but Toronto has recorded back-to-back series victories on the road against the San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners, capturing four wins in six games on its current road trip. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays still sit 8.5 games back of the final wild-card spot in the American League and are well out of contention with the trade deadline looming at the end of the month.

Arizona, meanwhile, is playing some really good baseball right now. The Diamondbacks split a four-game series with the Atlanta Braves earlier this week after winning three consecutive series against the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Oakland Athletics. They’re just one game out of the final wild-card spot in the National League with a .500 record heading into this series with Toronto.

Let’s take a look at the game odds for Friday’s contest between the Blue Jays and Diamondbacks courtesy of bet365:

Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks odds

Blue Jays Moneyline Odds	+105
Diamondbacks Moneyline Odds	-125
Runline Odds	D-Backs -1.5 (+160), Blue Jays +1.5 (-190)
Over/Under	Over 9 runs (-115), Under 9 runs (-105)
Time/Date	July 12, 9:40 p.m. ET
TV	Broadcast: Sportsnet, Sportsnet+

Betting Toronto Blue Jays (43-50 SU, 47-46 ATS, 45-45-3 o/u)

This team is literally falling apart, with another wave of injuries decimating the roster. Shortstop Bo Bichette (calf) and outfielder Daulton Varsho (knee) are both day-to-day. Prospects Ricky Tiedemann (forearm) and Adam Macko (forearm) have also encountered injury setbacks, and even third base coach Carlos Febles injured his knee during the last series against San Francisco.

Perhaps the biggest news, though, is that outfielder Kevin Kiermaier was placed on waivers following Thursday’s series finale with the Giants, signalling the team is ready to sell ahead of the trade deadline. The four-time Gold Glover has struggled mightily at the plate this season, hitting just 191/.238/.295 in 71 games. Another team can claim him and take on the roughly $4.5 million he’s still owed this season. Or, he can go unclaimed, get released, and sign for a pro-rated portion of the league-minimum salary with another club.

Betting Arizona Diamondbacks (47-47 SU, 45-49 ATS, 48-42-4 o/u)

This Diamondbacks team is much better than their .500 record suggests. Major injuries to workhorses in the starting rotation like Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, and now Jordan Montgomery have set the team back, but Rodriguez and Kelly are slowly working their way back and could rejoin the team in the coming weeks. Once their starting pitchers get healthy, this team has a legitimate shot to return to the postseason and potentially do some damage.

The Diamondbacks have remained afloat due to their potent bats. They’re averaging 4.9 runs per game (fourth in the majors) this season, and rank in the top 10 in team batting average (.253 – eighth), on-base percentage (.323 – seventh), and slugging percentage (.409 – ninth).

First baseman Christian Walker is on a tear right now, slashing .309/.387/.655 with five homers and 16 RBIs over the last 15 days.

Probable starting pitchers

Toronto: RHP Yariel Rodriguez (1-3, 3.68 ERA, 8.90 K/9, 1.33 WHIP)

Rodriguez has looked outstanding over his last two starts, allowing just a single run in almost 13 innings of work while striking out 12. Injuries set him back early in the season, but he looks healthy now, and is showing his true potential on the mound. Bettors should note that Rodriguez hasn’t thrown more than 83 pitches in a single start this season, so Toronto’s wonky bullpen will likely need to eat at least three innings of work on Friday.

Arizona: RHP Ryne Nelson (6-6, 5.08 ERA, 6.10 K/9, 1.48 WHIP)

Like Rodriguez, Nelson has also turned in two straight quality starts against the Dodgers and Padres, allowing just two earned runs in nearly 12 innings of work while striking out eight. The Blue Jays will see a steady diet of fastballs from Nelson, who throws his heater that averages roughly 95 mph around 50% of the time. He’ll also mix in a slider, cutter, changeup, and curveball. For some reason, Nelson has really struggled on his home mound this season. He owns a brutal 6.69 ERA and the opposition is hitting a lofty .349 against him at Chase Field.

Weather

The retractable roof at Chase Field will very likely be closed due to the extreme temperatures around 45 C expected this evening.

MLB betting trends

The over is 4-1 in Toronto’s last five games.
The over is 8-1-1 in Arizona’s last 10 games.
Toronto is 15-6 on the runline in its last 21 road games.

MLB player prop trends

Ernie Clement is swinging a hot bat for the Blue Jays, recording hits in four straight games with two homers and seven RBIs during that span.
Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez has gone deep in back-to-back games and now has nine homers on the season. He’s +450 to homer.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is cooling off at the plate after a torrid stretch. He’s recorded one hit or less in nine of his last 10 games. He’s -165 to record under 1.5 hits.

Blue Jays vs. Diamondbacks predictions

Rodriguez over 4.5 strikeouts: +132. Rodriguez is rolling right now and every Diamondbacks player on the roster will be seeing him for the first time Friday. The Diamondbacks don’t strike out too often (average 7.85 per game – 21st in majors), but this number seems low given Rodriguez has sat down six batters in consecutive starts.
Former Blue Jay Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has burned the Jays since being traded to the Diamondbacks in 2022. He’s 5-for-11 and has scored two runs in three games against his former club since the deal. He’s +110 to record over 1.5 total bases and should be fresh after getting Thursday off to manage some bumps and bruises, according to the team.