
Rangers visit the Blue Jays to open 3-game series
Texas Rangers (61-61, third in the AL West) vs. Toronto Blue Jays (71-51, first in the AL East)
Toronto; Friday, 7:07 p.m. EDT
PITCHING PROBABLES: Rangers: Jacob deGrom (10-5, 2.86 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 143 strikeouts); Blue Jays: Chris Bassitt (11-6, 4.17 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 128 strikeouts)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Rangers -116, Blue Jays -103; over/under is 7 1/2 runs
BOTTOM LINE: The Toronto Blue Jays begin a three-game series at home against the Texas Rangers on Friday.
Toronto has a 40-20 record in home games and a 71-51 record overall. Blue Jays hitters have a collective .426 slugging percentage to rank fourth in the AL.
Texas is 24-35 on the road and 61-61 overall. The Rangers have a 27-9 record in games when they hit at least two home runs.
Friday's game is the fourth time these teams meet this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has 29 doubles, 20 home runs and 67 RBIs for the Blue Jays. Ernie Clement is 15 for 42 with two doubles, a triple, four home runs and seven RBIs over the last 10 games.
Corey Seager leads the Rangers with 17 home runs while slugging .461. Kyle Higashioka is 10 for 34 with three home runs and five RBIs over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Blue Jays: 6-4, .310 batting average, 3.44 ERA, outscored opponents by 27 runs
Rangers: 3-7, .229 batting average, 4.25 ERA, outscored by 10 runs
INJURIES: Blue Jays: George Springer: 7-Day IL (head), Shane Bieber: 60-Day IL (elbow), Bowden Francis: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Ryan Burr: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Nick Sandlin: 15-Day IL (elbow), Yimi Garcia: 15-Day IL (ankle), Anthony Santander: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Alek Manoah: 60-Day IL (elbow), Angel Bastardo: 60-Day IL (elbow)
Rangers: Wyatt Langford: day-to-day (forearm), Adolis Garcia: 10-Day IL (ankle), Jacob Webb: 15-Day IL (back), Chris Martin: 15-Day IL (calf), Tyler Mahle: 60-Day IL (shoulder), Cody Bradford: 60-Day IL (elbow), Josh Sborz: 60-Day IL (shoulder)
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The Associated Press
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