Alright then. Let's take a gander at this upcoming clash of titans, or well, let's just say teams, between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers at the Globe Life Field in Arlington. Don't be fooled by the impressive name, there's no globe and very little life, with its batting-friendly park factor being less-than-average.
Looking at the mound, the Jays' currently have Bowden Francis holding the fort. Now, Francis has been more than decent with a 3.57 ERA and a tidy 0.95 WHIP over 25 appearances. For Texas, Cody Bradford will be aiming to keep the batters honest. He's currently rocking a 4.09 ERA and nearly identical 0.99 WHIP over 12 appearances. So, it's a bit of a coin toss between the hurlers.
The Jays' have been enjoying a purple patch with Nathan Lukes, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Spencer Horwitz doing the heavy hitting. Lukes has an enviable average of .356, while Guerrero and Horwitz are picking up the slack, especially when it comes to knocking in runs. On the Lone Star side, we've got Nathaniel Lowe, Wyatt Langford, and Josh Jung putting up a decent fight. Narrator's note: do not underestimate the power of a guy named Wyatt.
On a head-to-head basis, the Rangers have clawed their way to triumph in the most recent clash, making up for earlier losses. Nothing splits them apart when you look at the regular season records either, almost similar in the win-loss ratio. Recent form is somewhat read like a hungover raccoon - patchy, at best.
So, putting all these factors into some sort of twisted, baseball prediction machine, we might just have a winner...
Albert’s Prediction: Texas Rangers by 2.