The Toronto Blue Jays (52-60) and Houston Astros (58-55) meet tonight, with the game set to start at 8:10 p.m. ET at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. The game will be broadcast live on SNET and can be traded on Polymarket.
The Astros are favored, with the over/under set at 9. The Astros are the preferred trading option, while the Blue Jays will be looking to pull off an upset.
Let's get into my Blue Jays vs. Astros predictions and picks.
Blue Jays vs. Astros Predictions, Odds
Blue Jays vs. Astros Pick
Blue Jays vs. Astros Pick: Over 9
Blue Jays vs. Astros Analysis, Prediction
The worst pitching matchup of the night is right here. It's Shane Bieber against Cristian Javier. Bieber's return hasn't gone well. He has a 5.74 ERA, a 1.63 WHIP, a 15.6% K%, and a 12.8% BB% this year in 31.1 innings. He has 22 strikeouts, 18 walks, and seven homers given up. It's ugly right now.
The Astros will send Cristian Javier to the mound in place of Tatsuya Imai, whom they've moved to the bullpen.
Javier reappeared in relief of Imai last time and threw five scoreless innings. That might get people interested in him again, but I wouldn't go there. Javier's last three years have been sporadic:
- 20% K%, 12% BB%, 4.94 ERA, 1.45 WHIP
His pitch mix is bad. His fastball has always been a big problem, and he's been a super high fly ball rate guy when he's been in there. The Blue Jays don't hit a ton of homers, but they'll probably find a way to get a ball or two out of the yard in this one.
I think there will be fireworks in this game. These pitchers are bad, and I think these teams are going to want their 4-5 innings from both of them without the benefit of an off day between these series.
I thought we'd be seeing a 10.5 O/U in this one. But no, it's just at nine! This is a situation where the markets must think Javier is much better than he actually is. Sign me up for some runs in this game.
Pick: Over 9
