Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for today’s game between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Texas Rangers.

After back-to-back late-inning losses to the Astros, the Blue Jays will welcome another Texas squad north of the border on Thursday. The Rangers head to Toronto for a four-game set between two clubs currently gunning for the final Wild Card slot in the AL standings.

Let’s preview this clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Rangers vs. Blue Jays prediction, preview

So… Is now a bad time to congratulate Kevin Gausman on 2,000 career innings at the MLB level? The RHP accomplished the feat in his last outing against the Cubs, but let’s just say it was an afternoon to forget for the 35-year-old. Despite entering last week’s contest with a pristine walk rate below 5%, Gausman issued a free pass to four of the first six Cubs batters he saw. To make matters even worse, the veteran then surrendered a no-doubt grand slam to Carson Kelly. All told, Gausman would allow seven hits and seven earned runs in only two innings of work. It was by far his shortest and worst start of 2026, and it raised his ERA all the way up to 4.04 for the season as a whole. Woof.

It’s now hard to know what to expect with Gausman going forward. The former fourth-overall pick does sport a 3.48 xERA across 89.0 innings, but Gausman’s also in possession of a ghastly 7.20 ERA in the month of June. I guess he can take some solace in the fact that the Rangers aren’t exactly setting the world ablaze with their bats as of late. In fact, Texas ranks in the lower third of the league in ISO (.146), slugging percentage (.407) and expected wOBA (.306) dating back to the beginning of the month. However, the club is expected to get Corey Seager back off the concussion IL this evening. That’ll help, even with Seager currently batting below the Mendoza line (.186) with a career-high strikeout rate (26.5%).

Toeing the rubber for Texas will be MacKenzie Gore. While the lefty hasn’t taken the step forward in Arlington that the Rangers liked hoped he would following their offseason trade with the Nationals, Gore’s been perfectly fine. He’s posted a 4.07 ERA and a 3.54 FIP in 84.0 innings. He’s struck out 92 opponents and struggled with walks. He’s been MacKenize Gore, as advertised. That said, the southpaw has found a little more consistency in his last eight outings, maintaining a 3.07 ERA and a 3.15 FIP. I’d expect the good times to keep rolling against a listless Toronto offense that still ranks dead-last in MLB in expected wOBA for the season (.303).

Rangers vs. Blue Jays pick, best bet

Best Bet: Rangers ML (+129)

The Jays have dropped three of Gausman’s last four starts. They’re only 22-20 at home in 2026. I can understand why they’ve favored, but in a game that feels like a coin flip, give me squad at plus-money with the starting pitcher in better recent form.

Strong Lean: Kevin Gausman – 1 or Fewer Walks (-125)

I think last week was an aberration. Gausman’s 5.5% walk rate is the 12th-lowest qualified mark in MLB. He’s walked one or fewer in nine of his 16 starts in 2026, and the Rangers 6.8% walk rate in June is the lowest mark in the American League.