David Price (12-4, 2.40 ERA) takes the hill for the Toronto Blue Jays (69-55) as they square off against Colby Lewis (14-5, 4.29 ERA) and the Texas Rangers (64-59) in the second of a three-game series at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Blue Jays won the last game 6-5 and Toronto leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 8:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Aug. 26 and can be seen on RSN and FSSW.
Lewis pitched 7.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering zero runs, striking out two and walking one in a 2-0 win over the Tigers. Rougned Odor (.280, 38 Rs, 11 HRs, 43 RBIs, 5 SBs) continued his strong play yesterday, going 2 for 3 with two runs, one home run, and two RBIs. Price went 8.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out nine and walking one in a 9-2 win over the Angels in his last outing. Jose Bautista (.242, 82 Rs, 30 HRs, 87 RBIs, 5 SBs) went 1 for 5 yesterday with one run, one home run, and two RBIs.
Toronto takes on Texas as a -175 favorite. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is sitting at eight runs. The Rangers have an overall money line of +2,136 and a record as the underdog of 51-47. Texas’s pitching staff has been doing better against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, only allowing an average of 2.7 runs per game, well under their season average of 4.6.
In the other locker room, Toronto is coming in with an overall money line of +463 and an impressive record of 50-27 as the favorite. Offensively, they average 5.4 runs per game, which is tops in the AL. The Blue Jays are tough outs for opponents, ranking fourth in the AL with 8.9 hits per game. Toronto is excellent at drawing walks with 3.3 per game, ranking second in the AL.
The Blue Jays lead the season series, 3-1. The Rangers have a 23-22 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Price takes the mound. Lewis (RHP) will be on the hill against the Blue Jays, who have a 52-43 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor, O/U – Over
Notes
Texas won its last game in a shutout, its sixth of the season. Toronto has been shut out four times this season.
Having scored zero runs in their last game, the Rangers are going to have to up their game if they want to win this matchup. The Blue Jays have an 8-0 record in games where opponents scored that many runs.
When they are outhit, the Blue Jays are 11-44. The Rangers have a 15-46 record when opponents outhit them.
Texas ranks in the top 10 of the league at 10th when it comes to home runs, hitting 129 this season. Toronto ranks in the top five at second with 167.
Ranking sixth, Texas is in the top 10 of the league in hits, notching 8.68 per game. Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.90.
Toronto tops the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage of .780 this season. Texas ranks in the top half at 12th with an OPS of .728.
The Blue Jays are 39-40 when they allow at least one home run. The Rangers perform similarly when they allow one or more homers with a 33-45 record.
