Blue Jays vs Mariners prediction & match preview - April 28th | MLB 2023

Tonight, the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners will square off in a rematch of last season's American League Wild Card Series. While Toronto entered the Wild Card as the higher seed, the Mariners ended up sweeping the series, advancing to the ALDS after returning to the postseason for the first time since 2001.

Both teams have re-tooled and entered the 2023 season as two of the favorites to come out of the American League. Before the start of the season, the two clubs even made a notable trade, with the Blue Jays sending Teoscar Hernandez to the Mariners in exchange for relief pitcher Erik Swanson and pitching prospect Adam Macko.

"Teoscar Hernandez is shipping off to Seattle in a shocking trade" - @TalkinBaseball_

Tonight in Toronto, both squads will meet up for the first time since the Wild Card Series. While both teams remain two of the strongest teams in the American League, they have had different starts to the season.

At the time of writing, Toronto has a record of 16-9, whereas the Mariners sit below .500 with an 11-14 record. The teams' records do not indicate which team will win any given contest, with sports gambling website Bet365 backing up this point by giving both teams equal odds of winning tonight's game.

While the Blue Jays should enter the matchup with the advantage, both clubs are quite evenly matched. In their last ten games, Toronto has posted a 6-4 record, whereas Seattle has a 4-6 record. The numbers across the board are seemingly even, so a look at each starter may be the key.

A look at both starters heading into the matchup between the Blue Jays and Mariners

Tonight will see two of the strongest pitchers on both teams as Alek Manoah will take to the mound for the home team while Luis Castillo is slated to start for Seattle.

So far this season, Manoah has a 1-1 record with an uncharacteristic 5.13 ERA. He will look to bounce back against a Mariners offense that ranks 27th in team batting average and 20th in team home runs.

Castillo, on the other hand, has been one of the top pitchers in the American League. The 30-year-old starter has been magnificent for the Mariners, posting a 2-1 record with a 1.52 ERA and 34 strikeouts. He will take on a Blue Jays lineup that ranks 14th in team home runs and fifth in team batting average.

"Tonight is the rematch of Game 1 from the 2022 Wild Card Series. Jays vs Mariners. Manoah vs Castillo. Rogers Centre." - @ColeWhiston

This will be a classic strong pitching versus a strong batting matchup. That being said, we predict that Toronto will get revenge on the team that eliminated them from the postseason last year.

The opening pitch is slated for 7:07 pm EST at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.