Tuesday night viewing has never been this good as we’ve got two fantastic baseball games that will definitely tickle your sporting fancy. Kicking things off tonight is the much-anticipated showdown between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Atlanta Braves.
Then, the Houston Astros square off with the Texas Rangers in a critical AL West clash. Read on below for a quick breakdown of these two pivotal matchups and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Pittsburgh Pirates.
[sc:MLBArticles ]Toronto Blue Jays vs. Atlanta Braves (7:10 PM ET)
Line: Toronto Blue Jays (-200) at Atlanta Braves (+170) – view all MLB lines
The Toronto Blue Jays had their three-game winning streak snapped on Sunday with a heavy 5-0 defeat to the New York Yankees. With the loss, the Blue Jays’ lead at the top of the AL East standings has been sliced to just 3.5 games. They will look to return to the win column tonight when they take on the Atlanta Braves in the opening game of their three-game set.
[sc:MLB240banner ]Starting for the Blue Jays this evening is Mark Buerhle (14-7, 3.72 ERA). He will be making his return to the mound after having his last start pushed back three days because of a cortisone shot. The left-hander lasted just 3.1 innings in his last start against Boston on September 7, surrendering five runs on nine hits.
The Braves, on the other hand, will counter with Julio Teheran (10-7, 4.38 ERA). He stifled the Phillies on Wednesday, allowing just one run on four hits over seven innings of action. He also struck out four and walked two batters in that 8-1 victory of Atlanta. The Braves have now won five of their last eight games with Teheran as their starter.
Writer’s Prediction
Toronto wins, 5-2.
Houston Astros vs. Texas Rangers (8:00 PM ET)
Line: Houston Astros at Texas Rangers – view all MLB lines
Texas moved to within half a game of Houston for the AL West lead with a nerve-wracking 5-3 victory over the Astros on Monday night. The Rangers will look to grab the division lead for good when they take on the Astros in the second game of their three-game set later tonight.
Starting for the Rangers this evening is Derek Holland (3-2, 3.13 ERA). He picked up the loss Thursday against the Seattle Mariners, allowing five runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings of action. That start was Holland’s shakiest since returning from the disabled list on August 19.
The Astros, on the other hand, will have right-hander Collin McHugh (16-7, 3.89 ERA) as their starter tonight . Houston is 3-0 in McHugh’s last three starts. He has been spectacular in the second half for the Astros, going 7-2 with a 2.80 ERA in his last 10 starts since July 17.
Writer’s Prediction
Texas wins, 7-5. Create a betting account now and bet on the best games for tonight.
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