In the first of a four-game American League bill, the Toronto Blue Jays will pay a visit to Anaheim and run into the Los Angeles Angels. The Blue Jays, who reside in third place in the AL East, have a 23-20 record, while the host Halos boast a 27-18 mark.
Shohei Ohtani will occupy the rubber for Los Angeles, having watched his team lose in extra innings in each of his last two starts. He has a respectable 2.82 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. He’s averaging over six punchouts per outing.
For Toronto, it will be ninth-year left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu, the owner of a 6.00 ERA. He did pick up his first win of the season, however, his last time out, by throwing six scoreless innings against Cincinnati.
Blue Jays at Angels Stats
Toronto Blue Jays Stats
The Blue Jays’ .232 team batting average ranks in the bottom third of the majors. Second baseman Santiago Espinal is leading the crew by hitting .284, while first baseman Vladimir Guerrero and center fielder George Springer follow.
Guerrero and Springer have provided the most pop for a lineup that started the season by hitting home runs at a torrid clip. They are tied for the team lead in long balls with eight apiece. Springer also ranks first in RBIs with 25, while Vlad Jr. has 22.
The duo also grades out as having the first- and second-best on-base percentages of any Toronto batter.
Los Angeles Angels Stats
No surprise here. The Angels’ two most crucial cogs are the ones leading the offensive charge. Center fielder Mike Trout has the team standards in batting average (.319), homers (12), OBP (.425), and total knocks (45).
Ohtani is chipping in with a team-high 28 runs driven in and 17 extra-base hits. First baseman Jared Walsh has piled up 27 RBIs.
In fact, each Ohtani, Walsh, Trout, third baseman Anthony Rendon, and outfielder Brandon Marsh have all recorded at least 24 RBIs thus far.
With 4.7 runs per contest, Los Angeles ranks fifth in the show.
Blue Jays at Angels Betting Trends
The Blue Jays are 18-25 on the run line, while Los Angeles is 24-21. The over/under totals aren’t much better, as Toronto is 16-26-1 and the Halos are 18-21-6.
Los Angeles has had some success on its home diamond, posting a 15-9 record in Anaheim. The Blue Jays have done well as road underdogs with Ryu on the hill, going undefeated in the last four such instances.
In Ryu’s last eight road starts overall, Toronto has emerged victorious seven times. As it pertains to the hurler on the other side, the Angels are 0-4 in his last four starts as a favorite between -110 and -150.
Matchup Information
Blue Jays at Angels Betting Prediction
Taking a gander at the main sportsbook MLB odds, the Angels are favored to snap their losing skid in this one. Los Angeles is -1.5 on the run line at +132, while the Blue Jays are -160 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Angels are -158, and Toronto is a +134 underdog. The total is marked down at 7.5 runs, with the over being -112 and the under -108 at the time of this writing.
Conclusion
While the MLB betting trends have been fairly kind to Toronto’s Ryu, Los Angeles has a solid lineup of batters to hang its hat on.
Ohtani showed just how special he can be with a head-turning effort on both ends against the Red Sox not long ago. Both he and Trout have Angels fans hoping that this year can be different than others.
Look for Los Angeles to get this series off on the right foot. Ryu’s been prone to let a few runs across, and the Halos’ elite talents will take advantage.
Taking this into account, the MLB picks today should be that the hosts are in a good position.
Take this advice and go with Los Angeles — who has the fourth-most runs in the MLB — to notch a home victory.
With an opportunistic offense, they’re a lock.
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