Baseball bettors looking at this week's moneyline odds see one huge underdog and a bunch of small underdogs. That's because Texas is one of the biggest underdogs of the past decade in MLB playoff action, according to the baseball database at OddsShark.com.
Baseball betting trends: Texas Rangers huge underdogs vs. Toronto Blue Jays
The Texas Rangers are huge moneyline underdogs against David Price and the Toronto Blue Jays for Thursday as we look at the betting trends heading into their ALDS matchup.
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One sportsbook had the Toronto Blue Jays as -240 favorites for today’s Game 1 of the ALDS. Just four teams have been favored by more since 2005 in the baseball playoffs.
“We found the 2009 Yankees were favored twice by -300 or more against the Minnesota Twins that year, on Oct. 7 with CC Sabathia on the hill, and two days later with AJ Burnett throwing,” said Mike Pickett of OddsShark.com.
The Rangers were moneyline underdogs of +200 or more just twice all season -- June 17-18 at the Dodgers, facing Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw. It happened four times in 2014, then not since 2009.
Of course the Rangers know plenty about underdog status. Check out the World Series future odds chart and see that Texas was a 100-1 longshot in mid-April and were still 50-1 on Aug. 1. Fast-forward to the acquisition of Cole Hamels and a hot September and they are 12-1.
Toronto was also a longshot in August, but their trade deadline exploits sparked a huge rally. They were 16-1 then, but now sit as 3-1 favorites to win their first title since 1993.
David Price goes to the mound for the Blue Jays on 12 days of rest as he tries to reverse a lame playoff trend. In his six playoff starts with Tampa Bay and Detroit since 2010, his teams have won just once.
Yovani Gallardo has only three career starts against Toronto, but his team won all three including twice in 2015 (June 27 and Aug. 27).
The UNDER is 7-1-2 the past 10 times Texas was a road underdog. The past nine times a Jays game saw a total lower than 8, the game went UNDER just twice (6-2-1 favoring the OVER).
Big Playoff Favorites - See Matchup Report
Oct. 9, 2009 -- Yankees -300 at home over Twins
Oct. 7, 2009 -- Yankees -360 at home over Twins
Oct. 7, 2005 -- Yankees -255 at home over Angels
Oct. 6, 2005 -- Cardinals -250 at home over Padres
