Toronto Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers MLB Predictions, Picks and Preview – American League Division Series Game Two – October 7, 2016

Toronto Blue Jays vs. Texas Rangers ALDS Game 2 Preview

Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington, Arlington, TX

When: Thursday, October 7, 2016, 1:00 PM ET

Line: Toronto Blue Jays (+110) vs. Texas Rangers (-120); total: 9.0 – view all MLB lines

TV Broadcast: TBS

Writer’s Pick: Texas Rangers (-120)

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Betting on the Toronto Blue Jays (+110)

The Toronto Blue Jays opened their 2016 MLB postseason with a bang, blasting the Texas Rangers, 10-1, to grab a surprise 1-0 lead in their best-of-five series. Marco Estrada was superb for the Blue Jays in the series opener, allowing just one run on four hits in 8.1 innings of action. The Blue Jays now set their sights on a commanding 2-0 lead when they take on the Rangers in Game 2 later today.

Pitching for the Blue Jays in this all-important contest is left-hander J.A. Happ (20-4, 3.18 ERA). This will just be the second career playoff start for Happ, who last pitched in the postseason back in 2009 with the Phillies. Happ was one of MLB’s three 20-game winners this season and had an impressive 2.35 ERA over his final five starts. The Illinois native will fancy his chances of extending that excellent form against the Rangers as he has fared extremely well against them of late. Happ pitched seven innings of one-run ball in Toronto’s 12-2 demolition of Texas back in May. Over his career, Happ has compiled a 3-2 record against the Rangers with a 3.07 ERA and 1.171 WHIP.

That being said, the Blue Jays will also need to pull their weight on the offensive end if they are to beat the Rangers this afternoon. Expected to lead the Jays’ offense in Game 2 is Edwin Encarnacion. He is 5-of-16 in his career against Texas starter Yu Darvish with two homers, three RBIs and four walks. Encarnacion has three hits in nine at-bats this postseason with a homer and three RBIs. Also expected to contribute in Game 2 is the red-hot Jose Bautista. He has hit homers in six of his last 13 games, including a mammoth three-run blast in the series opener against Texas.

Toronto is 5-2 in its last seven games on the road.

Betting on the Texas Rangers (-120)

Cole Hamels was simply no match against the big bats of the Blue Jays, who scored seven runs off the AL Cy Young candidate in Game 1. After Toronto’s offense sent that powerful message to the Rangers’ pitching staff, it’s now time for Yu Darvish to get on the mound and prove that his late-season numbers were indicators that he’s about to turn it on in this year’s playoffs.

This will just be the second career postseason start for Darvish, who last pitched in the playoffs back in 2012. He surrendered three runs in 6.2 innings in a 5-1 loss to Baltimore in the 2012 Wild Card Game. Darvish missed out on last year’s ALDS against Toronto after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The Japanese star made 17 starts this season but none against the Blue Jays, going 7-5 with a 3.41 ERA. Darvish was 6-2 with a 4.26 ERA in 10 home starts and is 3-2 with a 2.45 ERA in seven starts versus Toronto.

He can’t do it all alone, though, and he needs the Rangers’ hitters to pick up the scoring slack as well. Texas, which finished seventh in the majors in runs scored this season, managed just a single run in that Game 1 defeat. The onus then is on Carlos Beltran to carry the scoring load for the Rangers in Game 2. He has had some success against Happ in the past, going 10-of-32 against the lefty with three homers and six RBIs. Beltran went 1-of-3 against the Blue Jays in Game 1.

Texas is 5-5 in its last 10 games at home.

Writer’s Prediction

Darvish shuts down the Jays bats as the Rangers (-120) roll to a 6-2 win.

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