This Sunday the (77-60) Toronto Blue Jays and the (59-78) Texas Rangers will play the final game of this three-game series. The first pitch will be thrown out at 2:35 PM EST inside Globe Life Field. The last time that these two teams matched up, the Blue Jays ended up taking two of three games.
The Toronto Blue Jays are coming into this one after taking down the Baltimore Orioles in their last four-game series. The Blue Jays looked great at the plate, as they were consistently reaching base safely and driving in men when they were in scoring position.
The Texas Rangers are entering this game after losing their previous series to the Houston Astros. The Rangers struggled at the plate, as they were shut out in game one. They will need to wake up at the plate if they want to challenge the Blue Jays at home.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Toronto Blue Jays now hold the second AL Wild Card spot, as they continue to string together wins. They are currently 8-2 in their last 10 games played and they have won two in a row. Unfortunately, the Blue Jays are still in third place in the AL East, as they are still 5.5 games back from the first-place New York Yankees.
At the plate, the Blue Jays are scoring 4.72 runs per game and they are hitting .261 as a team. This is the sixth most runs scored per game, but the highest overall team batting average. They have consistently made contact with the ball all season and they have been clutch when they have men in scoring position. Toronto has also realized that they have a ton of power littered throughout their lineup. They are hitting 1.23 bombs per game, which is the eighth most in the entire league. Watch for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., as he currently leads the team with 27 home runs. I also expect Toronto to stay conservative once they have reached base safely. They have only stolen 57 bases this season, which is the 22nd least in the MLB. They have allowed their bats to move their base runners into scoring position.
According to MLB.com, the Blue Jays are still undecided on who will start in this game. This makes me believe that the Blue Jays will be using their bullpen a ton in this one. This could be okay for them, though. Their bullpen has the 12th lowest ERA in the league, as they are only allowing 3.70 runs per game. I would recommend checking mlb.com or covers.com to see who is starting in this game before you place your wager. As a team, the Blue Jays are allowing 4.24 runs per game, which is the 13th least in the league.