MLB Betting Preview (Sept. 18): Blue Jays vs. Rangers predictions
Photo credit: Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
By Greg Warren
Sep 18, 2024, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 18, 2024, 11:10 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays are back in action Wednesday night after the Texas Rangers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 13-8 victory over Toronto in the series opener on Tuesday.
The two teams obliterated the 7.5-run game total on Tuesday, combining for 26 hits and 21 runs in what most believed would be a low-scoring affair with Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Bassitt on the mound for their respective teams.
The Blue Jays had taken three straight games from the St. Louis Cardinals before falling to Texas on Tuesday.
Let’s dive into the game odds for Wednesday’s clash between the Blue Jays and Rangers courtesy of bet365:
Blue Jays vs. Rangers odds
Blue Jays Moneyline Odds | -105 |
Rangers Moneyline Odds | -115 |
Runline Odds | Rangers -1.5 (+175), Blue Jays +1.5 (-210) |
Over/Under | Over 7.5 runs (-115), Under 7.5 runs (-105) |
Time/Date | Sept. 18, 8:05 p.m. ET |
TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ |
Betting Toronto Blue Jays (72-79 SU, 79-72 ATS, 78-69-4 o/u)
Every player in the Toronto lineup besides Leo Jimenez notched at least one hit on Tuesday, with four players recording multi-hit games. One of those players was Bo Bichette, who made his return to the field after missing roughly two months with a calf injury. Bichette went 2-for-5 and drove in a run in the losing cause.
Davis Schneider continued to stroke the long ball, homering for a third consecutive game to bring his total to 12 on the season. He also singled to go 2-for-5 on the night with a pair of RBIs. He’s posted a 1.533 OPS over the last seven days.
Toronto is 3-1 against Texas this season, and all four of those meetings have played over the total.
Betting Texas Rangers (72-79 SU, 65-85 ATS, 69-74-7 o/u)
The Rangers had scored just 17 runs over their previous six games before putting 13 on the board on Tuesday. Wyatt Langford went 3-for-4 with a home run and a pair of walks to lead the offensive charge. Leody Taveras also launched his 10th homer of the season. Toronto pitchers have surrendered 199 home runs this season, the most in the majors.
Toronto torched Eovaldi for seven runs on 11 hits over 4 2/3 innings, but the usually shaky Rangers bullpen was solid the rest of the way, allowing just two hits and one run.
Probable starting pitchers
Toronto: RHP Bowden Francis (8-4, 3.50 ERA, 7.96 K/9, 0.93 WHIP)
The Jays will feel good about their chances in this one with Francis on the mound. The right-hander has been absolutely incredible since August, when he won AL Pitcher of the Month Honours. In two September starts, Francis has allowed four earned runs over 14 innings, and he took a no-hitter into the ninth inning the last time he took the mound against the New York Mets.
Texas: LHP Cody Bradford (5-3, 3.97 ERA, 8.22 K/9, 0.96 WHIP)
Bradford was rocked by the Arizona Diamondbacks for eight earned runs on nine hits the last time he took the mound. Arizona launched three homers off him, and he couldn’t get out of the fourth inning. He had a nice run before that disastrous outing, though, allowing three earned runs or less in each of his previous seven starts.
Weather
Forecasts are calling for temperatures around 32 C and clear skies this evening in Arlington. Winds will blow from left field to right field at 7 mph, if the retractable dome is open.
MLB betting trends
- The over is 4-0 in the four previous meetings between these teams.
- The over is 7-1-1 in the Rangers’ last nine games.
- The Rangers have covered the runline in seven of their last nine home games.
MLB player prop trends
- Schneider has homered in three straight games and is +425 to do so again on Wednesday.
- Francis has recorded 21 outs or more in five of his last six starts. He’s +140 to record over 18.5 outs, but keep in mind he threw 111 pitches in his last outing, so he could have a shorter leash than usual on Wednesday.
- Schneider has driven in at least one run in five straight games. He’s +230 to accomplish the feat again Wednesday.
Rangers vs. Blue Jays predictions
- Blue Jays to lead after five innings: +130. The Jays have the advantage in the starting pitching matchup here and should jump out to an early lead behind Francis, who likely won’t pitch deep into the game due to his high pitch count last time out but should last five or six innings. We’re getting way more value here on the five-inning line than on the full-game line (-105), and Toronto’s horrendous bullpen can’t be trusted to hold down leads.
- Let’s back Schneider to remain hot and at least grab a hit at -115 odds. He doesn’t hit lefties well (.173/.246/.309 slash line), but he’s tearing the cover off the ball right now and is beaming with confidence. He was around +700 to homer in his previous two games, so the value just isn’t there at +425 on Wednesday to back him to go deep again.