Marcus Stroman (4-0, 1.67 ERA) and the Toronto Blue Jays square off against Cole Hamels (13-8, 3.65 ERA) and the Texas Rangers in Game 2 of the Divisional Playoffs at the Rogers Centre. The Rangers won the last game 5-3 and Texas leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 12:45 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 9 and can be seen on MLBN.
Stroman pitched 8.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering one run, striking out eight and walking two in a 15-2 win over the Orioles. Jose Bautista (.250, 109 Rs, 41 HRs, 115 RBIs, 8 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run, one home run, and one RBI. Hamels went 9.0 innings, surrendering two runs, striking out eight and walking two in a 9-2 win over the Angels in his last outing. Rougned Odor (.262, 57 Rs, 17 HRs, 62 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 2 yesterday with three runs, one home run, and one RBI.
The odds for Toronto and Texas are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable as of now. The Blue Jays have no trouble scoring as they lead the AL in offense with 5.5 runs per game. The Blue Jays are one of the best in the AL in terms of hits with an impressive 9.1 per game. Toronto leads the whole AL in walks, earning an average of 3.5 per game. Toronto’s pitching staff has been doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 5.4 runs per game, well above its season average of 4.1. The Blue Jays are the top team in the AL at limiting hits during home games, allowing only 7.7 hits per contest to their opponents this season.
The Blue Jays lead the season series, 4-3. The Blue Jays have a 20-15 record against left-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Hamels takes the mound. Stroman (RHP) will be on the hill against the Rangers, who have a 54-44 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tor
Notes
After a weak showing last week where they got in six hits, the Blue Jays need to step it up. The Rangers have a record of 32-8 when opponents get six hits or fewer.
It looks like the Rangers have a slight leg up on the Blue Jays, as the Rangers have won their last two games while the Blue Jays have lost their last three.
When they outhit their opponents, the Rangers are 65-10. The Blue Jays have a 76-10 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking first in runs, Toronto has earned 894 this season. Texas ranks third with 756 runs.
Ranking first in walks, Toronto has earned 571 this season. Texas ranks seventh with 506 walks.
The Blue Jays are 83-39 when they hit at least one home run. The Rangers perform similarly when they hit one or more homers with a 66-32 record.
