The Toronto Blue Jays’ battery has my attention tonight as the team hosts the spiralling Athletics on Friday night.
The pregame narrative: Chris Bassitt looks to bounce back against an A’s squad that is 1-14 in its past 15 games. Toronto won the series opener last night, 12-0, thanks in part to a three-hit effort from catcher Alejandro Kirk.
Check out my Blue Jays vs. Athletics prop picks on May 30.
Blue Jays picks vs. Athletics
Best bet: Bassitt over 5.5 Ks (-112)
The Athletics aren’t a team that strikes out too often, but even that facet of their game has gone haywire amid this extended slump.
On the season, the A’s have a 21.0% K rate, which is the 10th-lowest in the majors.
But in the past two weeks, the A’s have the sixth-highest K rate (23.9%).
Bassitt got rocked last time out (five runs on nine hits in 4.0 innings), but he’s been a much different pitcher on home turf. While I do like the match against a struggling club, the venue matters tonight, too.
- Bassitt at home (5 starts): 1.61 ERA, 10.6 K/9, .665 opponent OPS
- Bassitt on the road (6 starts): 4.86 ERA, 8.1 K/9, .764 opponent OPS
Bassitt is one of those kitchen sink pitchers who has seven or eight different pitches, but he generates most of his whiffs on curveballs and sweepers.
As it turns out, the A’s have been dreadful against those pitches, posting a combined 37.4% whiff rate (second-highest in MLB, per Baseball Savant).
Prior to Sunday’s dud in Tampa Bay, Bassitt had cashed this bet in three straight outings.
Look for him to stay in control against a desperate Athletics team while wielding home-field advantage.
Key stat: Bassitt is 6-5 vs. this Ks prop, averaging 5.7 Ks per start.
Quick pick
Kirk over 0.5 RBI (+160): Kirk is hitting lefties really well so far this season, posting a .371/.410/.486 slash line against them in 39 plate appearances.
Last night, with a left-handed starter on the mound, Kirk went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Now he’ll face another southpaw, Jeffrey Springs, in Game 2 of this four-game set.
Against LHPs as a team, the Jays rank ninth in wRC+ (111) and fifth in OBP (.338). There should be some traffic out there for the catcher to cash in.
Kirk has a 96th-percentile K rate (10.4%) and a 29th-percentile walk rate (6.4%), per Baseball Savant. So when he’s up at the dish, he’s almost always putting the ball in play.
Athletics vs. Blue Jays picks made at 12:25 p.m. ET on 05/30/2025.
Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.