The Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies continue their four-game set at the Air Canada Centre on Thursday. The Blue Jays will be looking for the rare four-game sweep after taking it to the Phillies in the first three games of this series. Wednesday night\u2019s game saw the Blue Jays come away with a convincing 10-0 win. <\/p>\n
Philadelphia Phillies (15-17) at Toronto Blue Jays (17-17)<\/strong>
\nDate: Thursday, May 8, 2014<\/strong>
\nTime: 7:07 PM ET<\/strong>
\nVenue: Air Canada Centre<\/strong>
\nCity: Toronto, Ontario, Canada<\/strong>
\nO\/U Odds: 8.5<\/strong>
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\nMoney Line: Toronto -121, Philadelphia +112<\/strong>
\nPitching Matchup: RH A.J. Burnett (2-1, 2.06 ERA) at RH R.A. Dickey (2-3, 5.01 ERA)<\/strong>
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Holding the Phillies to just five total runs in the first three games of this series is certainly a bright spot, but the best takeaway from this series for the Blue Jays could be the fact that Edwin Encarnacion has really turned things around.<\/p>\n
In the past two games, Encarnacion has gone 4-for-9 with a pair of home runs and four RBIs after struggling through much of the first month of the season. After an MVP-worthy season from him a year ago, getting the team\u2019s All-Star first baseman going would be a major boost.<\/p>\n
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R.A. Dickey gets the nod for the Blue Jays in this one. He\u2019s been wildly inconsistent this season, but this could be a game where he finds some success, facing a familiar foe. Dickey made nine starts against the Phillies in his time with the Mets, posting a 2.90 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP.
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\nHe\u2019ll be opposed by a familiar face for Blue Jays fans. A.J. Burnett spent three seasons with the Blue Jays. He\u2019s now in Philadelphia on a one-year deal and is making the most of it. Burnett had a rough go of it in his second start of the season, but he\u2019s actually been quite strong since. In his last five starts, he\u2019s posted a 1.41 ERA in leading the Phillies to wins in each of those starts.<\/p>\nOne thing that is going to give Dickey an edge in this one is the presence of D.J. Reyburn behind the plate. He\u2019s a pitcher\u2019s best friend, calling a very favorable strike zone for hurlers. With the unpredictability of the knuckleball, getting strike calls always makes the job easier, because it forces hitters to swing at pitches they don\u2019t want to, leading to favorable counts, and bad balls put into play.<\/p>\n
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Burnett will also surely be happy to see him, though he hasn\u2019t needed that kind of help this year, finding plenty of success with the Phillies in the shoes of a player he looked up to in Roy Halladay, and he\u2019ll love putting a solid game together in his old stomping grounds.<\/p>\n
The under is 7-3 in the Phillies\u2019 last 10 interleague road games, and 5-0-1 Reyburn\u2019s last six interleague games behind home plate.<\/p>\n
The under is 12-3-1 in Reyburn\u2019s last 16 games behind home plate on a Thursday, and 5-2 in his last seven games behind home plate overall.<\/p>\n