8* Under Blue Jays/Mets (7:10 ET): Toronto is a team that ought to have a better record. They’ve outscored opponents by 83 runs this season, which is the top differential in the AL East. Yet here they sit at just 48-44 on the year and are in fourth place. The second half started well enough as they swept Texas, including a pair of shutouts in a doubleheader on Sunday (1st time they’d done that in franchise history). But their residency in Buffalo ended poorly as they were beaten twice by Boston this week, 13-4 and 7-4. Now they are set to take on another first place team, that being the Mets.

Like Toronto, the Mets were idle yesterday. They are coming off a 7-0 shutout of the Reds on Wednesday afternoon. The Mets’ lead in the NL East is currently at four games over both Philadelphia & Atlanta. What I find most intriguing about handicapping this ballclub is that they are #2 in all of MLB in fewest runs allowed. But they have also scored the second fewest number of runs in all of baseball. On average, no team’s games are lower scoring than are the Mets (7.7 rpg). Tonight they are facing an American League club forced to play without the DH. So another low-scoring game would seem to be in the cards.

The Blue Jays have thrived in Interleague Play this season, going 13-2. That’s the best such record in all of baseball. They’re allowing just 3.6 rpg vs. NL foes. Steven Matz will be the starter on Friday and he’s coming off five shutout innings vs. Texas last weekend. But of course, Toronto’s scoring goes way down when they hit the road and now they don’t even have a DH. Mets’ starter Tylor Megill also didn’t allow a run in his most recent start (went six innings) and visiting teams here at Citi Field are hitting only .190 for the year and scoring 2.5 rpg. Take the Under in this one. 8* Under Blue Jays/Mets