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The Los Angeles Angels will play their first home game of the season on Friday, taking on the Toronto Blue Jays and prized offseason acquisition Chris Bassitt.
Toronto Blue Jays vs. Los Angeles Angels (-130, 9)
Bassitt is no stranger to pitching against the Angels as he pitched for the Oakland Athletics from 2015-2021 and has a career 3.43 ERA in 12 career pitching appearances against the Angels with 0.7 home runs and 1.6 walks per nine innings.
While with the New York Mets last season, Bassitt posted a 3.42 ERA less than one home run and three walks per nine innings.
Bassitt will duel against Patrick Sandoval, whose 6-9 record is deceiving as he posted a 2.91 ERA with 0.5 home runs and 9.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Both teams’ bullpen pitching was mediocre with the Blue Jays and Angels ranking 13th and 18th in bullpen ERA last season, respectively. Both performed much better after the All-Star break with the Blue Jays moving up to 7th in bullpen ERA while the Angels moved up to 13th.
The Angels’ pitching has held down opponents in the early part of the season, allowing three runs or fewer in five of their first six games of the season, Friday’s affair sets up for a pitcher’s duel that will be low-scoring.
The Play: Blue Jays vs. Angels Under 9