The Toronto Blue Jays (72-79) travel to face off against the Texas Rangers (72-79) on Wednesday, September 18th. This game will be played at Globe Life Field in Arlington and televised on SNET. The Rangers are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Blue Jays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Rangers. First pitch is set for 7:05 CT.
Blue Jays vs. Rangers Betting Prediction
- Money Line Prediction: Rangers (-125)
- Over/Under Prediction: Over 7.5 Runs
- The Rangers have scored an average of 5.6 runs per game in their last 15 home games.
- The Rangers have won 7 out of their last 10 home games.
- The Rangers have a 42-34 record at home this season, compared to the Blue Jays’ 34-42 record on the road.
- The Rangers have won 4 out of their last 5 home games against the Blue Jays.
- The Rangers have scored 6 or more runs in 6 out of their last 10 games.
Blue Jays vs Rangers
It was all Texas in the last game of this series, as the Rangers took down the Blue Jays by a score of 13-8. The Rangers offense only had two more hits than the Blue Jays and struck out nine times, but still picked up a convincing win. Heading into the game, they were favored at -132 on the money line.
Toronto got off to a fast start in this one, scoring two runs in the first and adding four more in the 2nd. As for the Rangers, they didn’t get on the board until putting up two runs in the 3rd, but exploded for five in the 4th and added three more in the 5th. After that, they only scored one run in the 6th and tacked on three insurance runs in the 8th.
Nathan Eovaldi only went 4 2/3 innings for the Rangers but gave up just one hit and one earned run. He finished the game with four strikeouts but issued two walks. On the other side, Chris Bassitt was tagged for seven runs in just 3 2/3 innings of work for the Blue Jays.
As the underdog, the Blue Jays have a 21-35 record this season and have dropped two straight games in that role. Overall, Toronto is 72-79 and 5th in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 16 games.
Against the run line on the road, the Blue Jays are 48-28, and their average run margin in winning games is +3.3. This season, their games have averaged 8.9 runs, and their over/under record is 78-69. Today’s O/U line of 7.5 runs is lower than usual, as 74.8% of their games have had higher totals.
Bowden Francis Gets The Start For The Blue Jays
Toronto is sending right-hander Bowden Francis to the mound today as he faces the Rangers on the road. Francis has made 11 starts this year and has a record of 8-4 with a 3.50 ERA. In his 25 appearances, he has a batting average allowed of .194 and a WHIP of .93. Looking back at his last outing, Francis finished with a no-decision against the Mets, going eight innings and giving up just one earned run. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One concern for Francis is that he has allowed 16 homers this year.
Blue Jays Offense Breakdown
So far this season, the Blue Jays offense has been pretty average, as they are 17th in runs per game (4.3) and have the 11th best team batting average in the league. One area where they have been strong is avoiding strikeouts, as they have the 6th fewest strikeouts in the league. Toronto’s offense is led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is hitting .322 for the season with a team-high 28 home runs and 97 RBIs, which is 10th best in the MLB.
Over his last four games, Davis Schneider has been on fire, going 7/15 with three homers and seven RBIs. This has helped him move into a three-game hitting streak. George Springer is also near the top of the Blue Jays home run leaderboard, but he is batting just .223 this season.
At home, the Rangers have a 42-34 record and are currently on a three-game winning streak. As the favorite, they have a 48-34 record, but as the underdog, they are 24-45. Overall, the Rangers are 72-79 and trail the Astros by 10 games in the AL West.
This season, the Rangers have a 64-87 run line record, with an average run differential of +3.4 in wins and -3.8 in losses. Their over/under record is 71-75, and the average total runs in their games is 8.8. Going into today’s game, their over streak is at 6 games.
Cody Bradford Gets The Start For The Rangers
Texas is sending left-hander Cody Bradford to the mound today vs. the Blue Jays. He has made 11 starts this season and has a record of 5-3 with a 3.98 ERA. Bradford’s WHIP for the season is .96, and opponents are batting .207 vs. Bradford this year. In his 11 starts, he has turned in seven quality starts and is averaging 8.22 strikeouts per nine innings. Bradford’s last outing came on September 11th, where he gave up eight earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of work. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts.
Rangers Offense Breakdown
Adolis Garcia has been the Rangers’ most productive hitter this season, leading the team with 78 RBIs and 22 home runs, but he is batting just .218 for the season. Corey Seager has been a better all-around hitter for the Rangers, batting .278 with 30 homers and 74 RBIs. Marcus Semien is also near the top of the home run and RBI leaderboards, but he is batting just .235 for the season and has gone 8/37 in his last nine games.
As a team, the Rangers are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the league. They are also in the bottom half of the league in most major offensive categories, including team batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage. Texas is also 16th in home runs this season.
Blue Jays vs Rangers Prediction
The best bet for this Blue Jays vs. Rangers matchup is to take the Rangers on the money line, with the payout being -125. We have the Rangers winning this one by a score of 5-4, and with the payout, we see this as a great value.
Looking at some potential player props, we have Cody Bradford finishing with five strikeouts. As for Bowden Francis, we have him ending the game with just four strikeouts, and we would look to stay away from his strikeout total.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
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Last updated:September 19, 2024 Blue Jays, Rangers