Texas Rangers vs Toronto Blue Jays: Preview & Prediction
Once one of baseball’s hottest new rivalries, the animosity between the Rangers and Blue Jays has died down in 2018 now that bat-flipper extraordinaire Jose Bautista is no longer in Toronto. Perhaps the fiery Marcus Stroman will reignite tensions tonight (8:05 PM ET, Sat., April 7) when he takes the bump for the Jays against starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter again Mike Minor.
Both teams came into the year underdogs in their divisional races, and both are already looking up at AL powerhouses (Houston and Boston). Who will lose more ground in the second of this three-game set? Get the early odds, statistical comparison, betting trends, weather forecast, and score prediction below.
Opening Odds
| MONEYLINE | RUNLINE | O/U RUNS |
|---|---|---|
| BLUE JAYS (-136) | BLUE JAYS -1.5 (+110) | OVER 9.5 (+100) |
| RANGERS (+126) | RANGERS +1.5 (-130) | UNDER 9.5 (-120) |
Stroman’s first start of the year against the Yankees wasn’t quite as bad as his 7.20 ERA suggests. He was cruising until the midway through the third, when he walked Giancarlo Stanton with two outs, surrendered a run-scoring double to Didi Gregorius, and then left a fastball over the plate to Chris Drury, which the New York newcomer crushed to left. Those comprised all four of his earned runs, and he was pulled after five innings with just 85 pitches under his belt. He wound up with a no-decision in a 7-4 Toronto win.
Minor had the unfortunate task of facing the Astros in his first start of the season, which was also his first start since 2014 after spending all of 2015 and ’16 on the DL (torn labrum) and then pitching out of the Royals’ bullpen in 2017. He performed admirably in the circumstances, surrendering three hits, two walks, and two runs in 4.2 innings of work against arguably the most dangerous lineup in the bigs. The bullpen didn’t fare so well and Texas dropped a lopsided 8-2 decision.
Team Stats
| 3-6 (1-4 Home) | RECORD | 5-3 (1-0 Away) |
| Mike Minor: 0-1, 3.86 ERA | PROBABLE STARTER | Marcus Stroman: 0-0, 7.20 ERA |
| .218 BA, .671 OPS (in 55 at-bats) | LINEUP VS OPPONENT STARTER | .182 BA, .553 OPS (in 33 at-bats) |
| 4.11 | TEAM ERA | 3.86 |
| .621 | TEAM OPS (On-Base + Slugging %) | .720 |
| 3-4 (2-2 Home) | 2017 HEAD-TO-HEAD | 4-3 (2-2 Away) |
Betting Results & Trends
| RANGERS | TREND | BLUE JAYS |
|---|---|---|
| Lost 1 | WIN/LOSS STREAK | Won 1 |
| 2-3 | LAST 5 | 4-1 |
| 3-6 | RUNLINE RECORD | 5-3 |
| 2-5-1 | OVER/UNDER SPLIT | 3-5 |
| 1 Over | OVER/UNDER STREAK | 1 Over |
The Blue Jays took the first of the three-game set last night, jumping out to an 8-0 and holding on to win 8-5.
Weather Forecast at Opening Pitch
| TEMPERATURE | 49° |
| HUMIDITY | 49% |
| WIND SPEED | NNE 7 MPH (crosswind to right field) |
| P.O.P. | 0% |
Score Prediction
| BLUE JAYS | 5 |
| RANGERS | 3 |
Minor mostly struggled as a starter, posting an ERA well over four in every season from 2010 to 2014, except 2013, and this Blue Jays lineup is seeing the ball well right now. Expect the supremely talented Stroman to stay more focused in his second outing and the Toronto bats to put enough runs on the board to get their would-be ace his first win of 2018.
Sascha was a hockey player in his youth, a lawyer in his capricious mid-20s, and has been with SBD since 2014. He specializes in football, basketball, politics, baseball, and hockey.
