The All Star festivities could have come at a better time for the Toronto Blue Jays as they were on a roll with eight wins in nine games heading into the break. I think they'll carry that momentum into the second half of the season though and pick up a win against the Oakland Athletics Friday night.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Pitching - The Blue Jays hand the ball to Marcus Stroman (7-4, 4.89 ERA) who allowed just a pair of runs on three hits in eight innings of a 4-2 win against the Royals his last start. Stroman held the A's scoreless through seven innings in the lone career meeting back in 2014. The A's counter with 23 year old rookie Daniel Mengden (1-4, 4.54 ERA). The A's have lost five of his first six starts in the big leagues and he's been lit up for 10 runs on 13 hits in 10 innings in his last two starts.

2. Home Woes - The A's 17-26 home record is among the worst in the major leagues and they've lost each of Mengden's four starts home at Oakland Coliseum.

3. X-Factor - The Jays have won six of the last seven meetings in the series.

Selection: This is a play on the Toronto Blue Jays (8*)