Written by Rohit Ghosh

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Blue Jays vs Angels: Analyst Preview

First place in the AL East is at stake when the Toronto Blue Jays head into Wednesday's matchup at home against the Los Angeles Angels. Despite Tampa Bay defeating Boston on Wednesday, the Red Sox remain in a tie for first place with the Blue Jays after Toronto lost 8-2 to the Angels.

Just a couple days ago, headlines around the league had the Blue Jays 'looking forward' to an easy schedule, starting with a three-game homestand against Anaheim.

Toronto plays the Minnesota Twins - another last-place team - after the Angels. Take care of business and the AL East could see a lone team atop the standings. After a 7-2 win on Tuesday and an 8-2 loss Wednesday, Thursdays outcome has legitimate impact on the divisional race.

The Blue Jays are benefiting from the schedule, with the Red Sox having to play the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles during the same stretch.

Thursday's matchup features the following starting pitchers

Los Angeles: Jered Weaver (8-11, 5.47 ERA)
Toronto: J.A. Happ (17-3, 3.05 ERA)



What do the sims say?

The Toronto Blue Jays are a strong 59.9% favorite to win according to the simulations, but the Angels have a surprisingly high 40.1% chance of winning, which is significantly higher than the 29.5% chance oddsmakers give the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Best Bet:

AccuScore believes the UNDER is the way to go, and this is a 4-star pick, as 62.2% of simulations finished UNDER the 9.5 run line.

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