Toronto Blue Jays vs Texas Rangers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/16/2023

Game Time: 8:05 pm ET, Friday, June 16, 2023

Venue:  Globe Life Field, Arlington, TX

Where to Watch:  BSSW

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -145, Rangers +125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -145, Rangers +125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays -145, Rangers +125; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  38-31 (4th place, AL East)

Texas Rangers:  42-25 (1st place, AL West)

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Toronto Blue Jays:  6-4 last 10

Texas Rangers:  5-5 last 10

The Blue Jays are entering this game off of a loss in their last game and lost their 3-game series against the Baltimore Orioles 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 38-32 record overall and have a road record of 19-19. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Rangers on Friday. Their offense ranks 7th in the MLB with a .758 OPS. Yusei Kikuchi was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Kevin Gausman is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 5-3 with a 3.12 ERA this season. His team won their last 4 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 6 ER, 1 HR, and 4 BB with 4 Ks on 7 hits through 4.2 IP against the Minnesota Twins.

The Rangers are entering this game off of a win in their last game but lost their 3-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 42-25 record overall and have a home record of 22-11. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Blue Jays on Friday with the series finale of their series against the Los Angeles Angels still to be played on Thursday. Their offense ranks 3rd in the MLB with a .797 OPS. Nathan Eovaldi is their starting pitcher on Thursday while Martín Pérez is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 6-2 with a 4.67 ERA this season. His team won 4 of their last 5 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 7 earned runs, 1 homer, and 3 BB with 2 strikeouts on 10 hits through 3.1 innings played against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The current betting odds have the Blue Jays listed as an underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Blue Jays have been playing a lot better lately after their slower start to the season as they were barely able to get over .500 but now they have been winning more games and trying to climb the standings in their division. The Rangers have also been really good in their games as they lead the AL West with one of the best records in the entire MLB and also one of the best offenses, but they haven't been great in their games lately as they have started to cool off in their series against the Angels. The Rangers have been a really good home team this season but Perez is on the mound for them and he has been slipping in his starts as of late, giving up more and more runs lately. Gausman is on the mound for the Blue Jays here and he has been a stud all season as he hasn't been giving up many runs in his starts lately. He will be able to shut down the Rangers offense here that hasn't been as good in their games lately and he will give the Jays their best chance of stealing a game from the Rangers while they are in this mini slump. The best way to place a bet here is on the Blue Jays to win this game.

Blue Jays Rangers Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, June 16, 2023 (8:05 pm ET start time) is Blue Jays 4 Rangers 2.

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Toronto Blue Jays: 41-48 (-28 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 41-38 (-11.7 units) on the moneyline against AL West opponents. 21-15 OVER in road games. KEVIN GAUSMAN is 14-8 OVER when the money line is +125 to -125. 

Texas Rangers: 42-25 (+15.1 units) on the moneyline in all games. 29-17 (+11.8 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 16-7 OVER when the money line is +125 to -125. 21-10 OVER in home games. 

Toronto Blue Jays:  B. Belt (DH) Out indefinitely - Hamstring. A. Cimber (RP) Out indefinitely - Personal. Z. Pop (RP) Late June - Hamstring. C. Green (RP) Late July - Elbow. H. Ryu (SP) Mid July - Elbow.

Texas Rangers:  J. deGrom (SP) out for season - Elbow. G. Otto (RP) Late June - Shoulder. B. Miller (DH) Late June - Oblique. J. Odorizzi (SP) out for season - Shoulder. B. Martin (RP) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.

“Basically he had everything working against obviously a really good lineup. He was phenomenal tonight.” - John Schneider on Jose Berrios after his team’s win against the Orioles in their game on Wednesday.

“I’m still doing the same things I was doing during the streak. You’re going to have ups and downs, but you just fight through it.” - Marcus Semien after their win against the LA Angels in their game on Wednesday.

George Springer (R) DH

Bo Bichette (R) SS

Daulton Varsho (L) LF

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B

Whit Merrifield (R) 2B

Matt Chapman (R) 3B

Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF

Danny Jansen (R) C

Cavan Biggio (L) RF

Marcus Semien (R) 2B

Corey Seager (L) SS

Ezequiel Duran (R) 1B

Adolis Garcia (R) RF

Josh Jung (R) 3B

Jonah Heim (S) DH

Mitch Garver (R) C

Robbie Grossman (S) LF

Leody Taveras (S) CF

Batting Average:  Ernie Clement (.333)

Hits:  Bo Bichette (94)

Home Runs:  Bo Bichette (14)

RBI:  Bo Bichette (44)

Stolen Bases:  Whit Merrifield (18)

Wins:  Chris Bassitt (7)

Saves:  Jordan Romano (19)

ERA:  Thomas Hatch (0.00)

Batting Average:  Corey Seager (.357)

Hits:  Marcus Semien (81)

Home Runs:  Adolis Garcia (15)

RBI:  Adolis Garcia (54)

Stolen Bases:  Marcus Semien (7)

Wins:  Nathan Eovaldi (9)

Saves:  Will Smith (11)

ERA:  Jon Gray (2.32)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (2nd season)

Texas Rangers: Bruce Bochy (1st season)