Thursday's Astros vs. Blue Jays game has a first pitch set for 1:07 PM ET from the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The money line odds have the Astros at -118 compared to the Blue Jays at -101. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
MLBN will be televising this AL matchup, and the Astros are 2nd in the AL West, while the Blue Jays are 5th in the AL East. Framber Valdez will go for the Astros, and the Blue Jays are starting Chris Bassitt.
Houston vs. Toronto Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Astros at Blue Jays
- Where: Rogers Centre Toronto
- Date: Thursday, July 4th
- Betting Odds HOU -118 | TOR -101 O/U 8.5
Astros vs Blue Jays Last Game Recap
Houston cruised to a 9-2 win over the Blue Jays in the most recent game of this series. The Astros had a huge 7th inning, scoring four of their nine runs. As for the Blue Jays, they scored their only two runs in the 1st. Heading into the game, the Astros were favored at -117 on the money line.
Ronel Blanco got the win for the Astros, going 5 2/3 innings and giving up just two earned runs. Yusei Kikuchi had a rough outing for the Blue Jays, taking the loss after going 5 2/3 innings and giving up two earned runs.
Yordan Alvarez and Yainer Diaz each had three hits and three RBIs for the Astros' offense. Daulton Varsho had a two-hit game for the Blue Jays.
Astros Preview
Currently on a seven-game winning streak as favorites, the Astros are 33-32 when favored this season. Overall, Houston is 44-42 and trails the Mariners by two games in the AL West. Their series record for the season is 15-11-1, and they have won five straight series.
When the total line is set at 8.5 runs, the Astros have a 10-14 O/U record. The average run total in their games this season is 9.0 runs, and their overall O/U record is 33-49. Heading into today's game, the over has hit in two straight Astros games.
Houston is sending Framber Valdez to the mound today vs. the Blue Jays, and he comes in with a record of 6-5 and an ERA of 4.11. Valdez has made 14 starts this year and has turned in eight quality starts. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going 4 2/3 innings vs. the Mets. Valdez gave up three earned runs in the outing. Before that, he had won two straight starts. One of his complete games came on June 23rd vs. the Orioles. Per nine innings, Valdez has 7.17 strikeouts and 3.06 walks.
Yordan Alvarez has been on fire for the Astros of late, going 11/22 in his last six games with three homers and eight RBIs. For the season, he is hitting .303 with 19 homers, which is 8th in the league and the top mark on the team. Kyle Tucker also has 19 homers this season and has gone deep three times in his last six games. Tucker comes into the game with a team-best on-base percentage of .395.
As a team, the Astros are the top hitting team in the league, averaging 4.7 runs per game. They have been even better at home, putting up 5.1 runs per contest. Overall, they are 7th in home runs and have the best team batting average in the league. Houston also does a great job of putting the ball in play, as they are the league's top strikeout team.
Blue Jays Preview
As the underdog, the Blue Jays have struggled this season, posting a 9-27 record. Overall, they are 39-47 and 12 games behind the Rays for the final Wild Card spot. Toronto will be looking to avoid losing the series vs. the Astros, as they currently trail 1-2.
Against the run line, the Blue Jays have been better on the road, going 24-18, compared to 15-29 at home. Their games have averaged 8.7 runs, resulting in a 41-42 over/under record. The over has hit in their last two games, and their O/U record when the total is 8.5 runs is 12-16.
Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Blue Jays today vs. the Astros and comes in with a record of 7-6 and an ERA of 3.24. This year, he has made 17 starts, and opponents are batting .253 off the right-hander. Bassitt has turned in nine quality starts and is averaging 8.41 strikeouts per nine innings. In his last outing, he picked up the win, going six innings and giving up one earned run vs. the Yankees. Before that, he had given up two earned runs in three straight outings. Bassitt has finished with a no-decision in three straight starts.
Over the Blue Jays' last eight games, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been on fire, going 15/33 (.455) with four homers and 17 RBIs. Guerrero Jr. is also on a nine-game hitting streak heading into today's game. George Springer has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 12/30 in his last nine games with four homers and 13 RBIs.
For the season, Guerrero Jr. is batting .297 with a team-high 13 homers and 50 RBIs. Daulton Varsho is second on the team with 11 homers but is batting just .199 for the season. As a team, the Blue Jays are 24th in the league in scoring, averaging four runs per game.
Astros vs. Blue Jays Prediction: Astros ML -118
Our prediction for the Astros vs. Blue Jays game is to take the Astros on the money line at -118. We have the Astros winning this one by a score of 5-4. If you're looking for a parlay, you could also look to take the Astros on the money line and look at the over/under line, which is sitting at 8.5 runs.
Looking at the starting pitchers, we have Framber Valdez going six innings and finishing with five strikeouts. As for Chris Bassitt, we have him going six innings and finishing with four strikeouts.
