Drew Hutchison (4-1, 5.26 ERA) and Brett Oberholtzer (0-0, 3.24 ERA) start in the second of a three-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (26-30) and the Houston Astros (34-22) at the Rogers Centre. The Blue Jays won the last game 6-2 and Toronto leads the series 1-0. Action begins at 1:07 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jun. 6 and can be seen on ROOT-SW and RSN.
Hutchison is 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in his appearances against the Astros, but goes up against a below-average Houston offense which is batting just .235 this season. Josh Donaldson (.311, 46 Rs, 15 HRs, 39 RBIs, 2 SBs) went 1 for 4 yesterday with one run. Oberholtzer is 1-1 with a 3.65 ERA when pitching against the Blue Jays. He takes on a quality Toronto offense which is hitting .264 this season. George Springer (.233, 26 Rs, 8 HRs, 19 RBIs, 12 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with one stolen base.
Toronto is a -142 favorite against Houston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Blue Jays have an overall money line of -681 and a record as the favorite of 14-12. The Blue Jays are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 66. Toronto’s batters do not strike out very often at home, with only 6.3 per game.
As for their opponent, Houston is coming in with an overall money line of +1,185 and an impressive record of 19-9 as the dog. Offensively, they average five runs per game on the road, which is the best in the AL. The Astros have a dynamic offense, ranking third in the league with 177 extra base hits. The Astros are an excellent base stealing team with 46 stolen bases, ranking third in the MLB. When it comes to preventing batters from getting on base, the Astros are the best in the league with a WHIP of 1.14 for the season.
The Astros lead the season series, 4-1. The Blue Jays have a great 5-2 record at home (7-4 overall) against left-handed starting pitchers, which is what they’ll be facing when Oberholtzer takes the mound. Hutchison (RHP) will be on the hill against the Astros, who have a very good 22-11 record against right-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
When the Astros play into extra innings, they have a 3-2 record. The Blue Jays are 1-1 when their games exceed nine innings.
The Astros managed to give up four walks in their last game. They’ll have to pick it up against the Blue Jays who are heading in with a 15-10 record against opponents who give up that many walks or more.
When they are outhit, the Blue Jays are 3-22. The Astros have a 9-14 record when opponents outhit them.
Ranking first in home runs, Houston has hit 76 this season. Toronto ranks fourth with 66 home runs.
Ranking 15th, Houston is in the top half of the league in hits, notching 7.84 per game. Toronto ranks in the top five at fourth with 8.82.
Ranking 13th, Houston is in the top half of the league for its on-base plus slugging percentage (.719). Toronto ranks in the top five at second with an OPS of .768.
When the Astros allow at least one home run, they are 12-15. When the Blue Jays allow one or more homers, they have a 14-23 record.
