Michael Brantley and the surging Houston Astros will take on the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre in a Saturday showdown. This AL matchup will begin at 3:07 p.m. ET and fans can tune in to ATTSN Southwest to catch the action.
Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays Odds
Sportsbooks have Houston (-160) as the favorite over Toronto (+150). The total currently stands at 10.5 runs and bettors can play the over or the under for -110. This game currently has a runline of Astros -1.5 (-110) and Blue Jays +1.5 (-110).
The Blue Jays are 69-66 against the spread (ATS), but only 54-82 straight up (SU). They’ve lost 16.2 units for moneyline bettors and 1.8 units ATS. On the other hand, the Astros are 88-48 SU and have gone 72-63 ATS. In total, the team’s accumulated 0.7 units for bettors taking the moneyline, but have lost 1.0 unit ATS.
Blue Jays games have an over/under record of 62-66-7 in 2019. Houston has been a decent under bet with a total record of 61-69-5.
Framber Valdez is getting the nod for Houston. The left-handed Valdez is 4-6 with a 5.14 ERA and 53 strikeouts. He’s 1-0 with eight strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA against Toronto this year.
The Blue Jays will be sending righty Clay Buchholz (0-3, 5.87 ERA) to the mound. Buchholz has 15 strikeouts and six walks to his credit as well as a 1.34 WHIP. Buchholz hasn’t faced the Astros yet this year and did not re a start against them in 2018.
Houston’s pitching staff allowed 4.0 runs per game and its starters own a 3.66 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.31 K/9. The bullpen has an ERA of 3.82, along with a WHIP of 1.10.
Astros hitters have slashed .276/.356/.490 on their way to 5.6 runs scored per game in 2019, including 7.2 runs per game over the team’s last 10 games and 9.8 per game over the team’s last five outings (4-1 SU).
Left fielder Michael Brantley and first baseman Yuli Gurriel have paced Houston’s offense. Brantley is slashing .333/.393/.534 with 19 home runs, 80 RBIs and 82 runs scored, while Gurriel is hitting .307 with 27 homers, 95 RBIs and 78 runs scored.
For the home team, Toronto’s pitchers have allowed 5.0 runs per game overall in 2019. The club’s starters have an ERA of 5.11, a WHIP of 1.47 and a strikeouts-per-nine of 7.4. The bullpen has a 4.35 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 9.1 K/9.
The Toronto offense has put up 4.5 runs per contest, including 2.9 per game over its last 10 games and 3.8 per game over its last five. The team has slashed .244/.347/.421 over its last five games and is 2-3 SU during that span.
The Blue Jays’ offense has been led by Freddy Galvis and Randal Grichuk. Galvis is slashing .267/.299/.444 with 18 home runs, 54 RBIs and 55 runs scored, and Grichuk’s line is .234/.289/.436 with 23 homers, 59 RBIs and 61 runs.
The Astros have lost 9.1 units and are 51-46 ATS when facing a right-handed starting pitcher this year. The over has cashed in 47 of those games, compared to 47 that’ve gone under in such games. On the other hand, the Blue Jays have netted 0.1 units and are 22-23 ATS when facing a lefty starter. The over’s cashed in 20 of those games, compared to 23 that’ve gone under.
Astros vs. Blue Jays MLB Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Astros, ATS Winner – Astros, O/U – OVER
Betting Notes
- The under has cashed in only one of Houston’s last seven games.
- The Astros have won seven of their last eight games SU while the Blue Jays have lost three of their last four.
- Houston has posted 27.8 Runs + Hits + Errors per game over its last 10 outings and 33.4 over its last five.
- The Astros have hit 18 home runs in their last 10 games, including 10 over their last five.
- The Astros have a team OPS of .846 this season and an OPS of .822 against right-handed pitchers. The Blue Jays’ OPS stands at .732 overall and .728 against righties.
