Thursday’s Astros vs. Blue Jays game has a first pitch set for 1:07 PM ET from the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Astros are 2nd in the AL West with a record of 44-42, while the Blue Jays are 5th in the AL East at 39-47.
MLB Network is carrying the TV coverage for Thursday’s game, and the money line odds have the Astros as the favorite at -118. The Blue Jays are listed at -101, and the over/under line is currently 8.5 runs. Framber Valdez is starting for the Astros, and the Blue Jays are going with Chris Bassitt.
Astros Aim to Close AL West Gap as Valdez Seeks Redemption Against Mets
The Astros are 44-42 overall and trail the Mariners by two games in the AL West. Houston is 15-12 against other AL West teams this year. They have won five straight series and are 15-11-1 overall in series play. At home, the Astros are 24-19, and they are 20-23 on the road. Houston has won seven straight games as the favorite and are 33-32 overall when favored. As for their record as the underdog, the Astros are 11-10 this season.
Framber Valdez will be looking to bounce back from a rough outing vs. the Mets, as he finished with a no-decision in the game. Against the Mets, he gave up three earned runs on eight hits in 4 2/3 innings of work. In that outing, he gave up one homer. Leading up to that start, he had won two straight outings. His record for the season is 6-5, and his ERA is 4.11. Valdez has made eight quality starts this year and has a WHIP of 1.29. So far, he has allowed a total of eight homers and is averaging 7.17 strikeouts per nine innings.
Blue Jays Look to Break Losing Streak as Bassitt Takes the Mound Against Astros
The Blue Jays are 39-47 overall, and they are currently 5th in the AL East, trailing the Orioles by 16 games. They are 12-16 in AL East matchups and are closing out their series vs. the Astros today, trailing 2-1 in the series. Toronto is 21-23 at home compared to 18-24 on the road. They have lost three straight games as the underdog and are 9-27 overall in that spot. As the favorite, they are 30-20, and their overall record is 4-6 over their last 10 games.
Chris Bassitt will be on the mound for the Blue Jays and is 7-6 with a 3.24 ERA. He has made 17 starts and has nine quality starts. The Blue Jays offense is led by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who is hitting .297 this season and has an on-base percentage of .375. Overall, the Blue Jays rank 24th in runs per game and have a team batting average of .234. They are 20th in homers.
Astros Favored in Close Matchup: Predicting a 5-4 Victory Over Blue Jays
Our predicted final score for this one is 5-4 in favor of the Astros. So, we would recommend taking them on the money line, where you can get them at -118.
Offensively, the Astros have a much higher projected run total than the Blue Jays, and they are also projected to finish with more hits. One area the Blue Jays do have an advantage is in the strikeout department. They are actually projected to finish with the second-fewest strikeouts in the league today.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Chris Bassitt is predicted to finish with four strikeouts, which is actually the sixth worst among today’s starters. As for Framber Valdez, he is projected to finish with five, and his chances of picking up a win are also higher than Bassitt’s.
