THE FACTS
When is Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays taking place? Thursday 26th March, 2020 – 20:37 (UK)
Where is Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays taking place? Rogers Center
What is the expected weather for Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays? Showers, 4c
What television channel is Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays on? BT Sport 1 showcases MLB games in the UK so it would be useful to check their schedule
Where can I stream Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays? BT Sport subscribers can stream the match live via the BT Sport website or app in the UK / MLB.tv in the US
Where can I get tickets for Boston Red Sox @ Toronto Blue Jays? https://www.mlb.com/tickets/season-tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Boston Red Sox 7 – 4 Toronto Blue Jays
THE TEAM NEWS
BOSTON RED SOX
- Boston had a disappointing season in 2019 since they ended in third place of the AL East despite their 84-78 record, nine games back of a potential Wild Card berth and 19.0 games behind the Yankees, who earned the pennant. It was a step backwards considering they were defending their World Series title.
- It’s unclear what the Red Sox's expectations are heading into the 2020 season. While they are “committed to winning”, it’s also quite clear they are a few steps below the New York Yankees in the AL East title race, so perhaps aiming for an AL Wild Card spot might be their best bet.
- The Red Sox’s biggest goal during the offseason was to get below the luxury tax threshold and they have accomplished that after sending both David Price and Mookie Betts to Los Angeles Dodgers in a trade on February 4th. They got considerably weaker after parting ways with their best player and one of their top starters. Their main player to watch should be Rafael Devers, who received MVP consideration in 2019 after batting for .311 with 32 home runs.
TORONTO BLUE JAYS
- The Blue Jays were one of many rebuilding franchises in the American League during the 2019 season and that was evident with their approach of playing young guys while flipping veterans in trades during the offseason. They finished last season in fourth place of the AL East with a 67-95 record.
- Things shouldn’t change much for Toronto in 2020. Even though some of their youngsters such as Bo Bichette and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will have one year of MLB experience under their belts, they continue to embrace the rebuild and making the playoff does not appear like a reasonable expectation for them.
- Toronto did a good job to bolster their rotation – their Achilles heel in 2019 – as they acquired Chase Anderson, Tanner Roark, Shun Yamaguchi and Hyun-Jin Ryu during the offseason. They also added Travis Shaw, who was coming off a disappointing 2019 season and should be a prime bounce-back candidate.
THE PREDICTION
Neither of these teams seem to have a clear shot at making the playoffs and while Toronto should be an improved team, particularly on the mound, the Red Sox remain the better side across the board. Boston won last season’s H2H matches by an 11-8 aggregate record, and they should be treated as favourites once again in the season opener. After all, the Red Sox went 46-35 on the road last season while the Blue Jays posted a 35-46 home record.