Houston Astros vs Toronto Blue Jays 6/7/2023 Expert Picks, Tips and Predictions
On June 7, 2023, at 7:07 PM ET in Rogers Centre, CAN, MLB action will pit the Houston Astros against the Toronto Blue Jays. The Houston Astros are once again in the thick of the American League postseason race and seem to be a team that may go quite far. After beating the Blue Jays 11-4 on Monday night in game one of their series, Houston has won seven of their last ten games and is now within striking distance of the much favored Rangers in the AL West. Tuesday night’s game two of the series saw the Jays shut down the Astros’ bats and lose 5-1. Houston had only four hits and 16 strikeouts throughout the loss.
In order to give ace Framber Valdez an extra day off, the Astros will employ Ronal Blanco as a pinch starting on Wednesday night. Blanco has a 1-0 record despite having only one start in each of his ten games so far this year. 23 hits were surrendered by Blanco in 17.1 innings of action. He now has a 10.9 K/9 rate and a 1.90 WHIP. He pitched well against the Angels in his lone start on June 1. In 5.1 innings of work, Blanco gave up seven hits and two runs. He struck out five batters while also walking three.
The Astros utilized 185 relievers throughout this season. They had 22 opportunities to make saves this year, but only managed to make 16 of them. The Astros’ bullpen pitchers began the game with a 72.7% save percentage and 54 save opportunities. This season, the relievers have 31 holds, which is the 16th-most in MLB.
- In their previous 20 games, the Houston Astros have a 14-6 SU record.
- In their past five road games, the Houston Astros are 4-1 SU.
- In 10 of Houston’s past 14 away games versus Toronto, the total was UNDER.
Houston Astros vs Toronto Blue Jays 6/7/2023 Expert Picks, Tips and Predictions
The Blue Jays entered their game on Wednesday night with a winning record, but they lacked the consistency necessary to advance in the AL East Division’s competitive rankings. The Yankees, Orioles, and Rays, who are in first place right now, lead the division, with the Blue Jays in fourth place. After losing the first game of the series to the Astros, the Jays went on to win six of their next eight games, but they were unable to pass the Astros in the division. On Tuesday, after conceding a home run in the opening inning, starter Kevin Gausman threw seven innings, allowed just four hits and one run, struck out 13 hitters, and won 5-1. Former Astro George Springer was one of three Blue Jays who hit solo home runs.
Chris Bassitt, a seasoned righty for the Blue Jays, will start game three of the series against the Astros. In this game, Bassitt is pitching for the Blue Jays for the first time. He has a 6-4 record and a 3.41 ERA. He made nine quality starts this season out of his 12 total starts, and in 74 innings thrown, he allowed 53 hits. This year, Bassitt made five starts at home and is 2-1 with a 2.16 ERA, including four solid outings. Bassitt has a home rate of 8.9 K/9 and a WHIP of 0.89.
The Toronto pitching staff allowed 260 runs this season with a team ERA of 3.91 (235 earned runs allowed). They allowed 4.32 runs per nine innings, which was 10th in the league, and they allowed 82 home runs. The Blue Jays now have a team WHIP of 1.277 and a FIP of 4.40 for the season. A K/BB ratio of 9.50 was attained by THEM (572 strikeouts vs 203 bases on balls). They have the 10th-ranked pitching staff in MLB with 488 hits allowed overall.
- In five of Toronto’s past seven games, the total was UNDER.
- In their last six games, the Toronto Blue Jays had a 5-1 SU record.
- In their previous 12 games played at home, the Toronto Blue Jays have a 4-8 SU record.
Houston Astros vs Toronto Blue Jays. The Toronto Blue Jays are the MLB prediction for this game. In game three against the Astros, the Jays have the highest chance of winning. This season, Bassitt shined at home, as he produced four quality starts out of five and has a 0.89 WHIP. Bassitt’s K/9 rate climbs by almost two while pitching at home. Toronto won both of Bassitt’s home starts thus far this season. In only his second start of the year, Blanco will start for the Astros on Tuesday night against a Jays team that has won four of its past five games. Given that Blanco’s WHIP is almost two, the Blue Jays should anticipate a lot of base-running in this game. The odds are 8-4 in favor of the Toronto Blue Jays.
MLB Starting Time: 7:07 PM ET
Location: Rogers Centre, CAN
Date: Wednesday, June 7, 2023
TV: Sportsnet
MLB Odds: Houston Astros +136
MLB Totals: 9.5
