Astros vs Blue Jays Pick

Toronto Blue Jays (10-6) vs. Houston Astros (7-9)
April 17, 2023 8:10 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Astros -107 / Toronto Blue Jays -103; Over/Under: +8
(Get latest betting odds)

The Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros meet Monday in MLB action at Minute Maid Park. Let’s preview this game and give out a pick and prediction.

The Toronto Blue Jays have scored 12 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 8 of their last 10 games. The Blue Jays are 9-3 this season when scoring 4 or more runs. Bo Bichette leads the Blue Jays with 27 hits and 11 RBI, while Matt Chapman and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. have combined for 48 hits and 23 RBI. Kevin Gausman gets the ball, and he is 1-1 with a 1.35 ERA and 25 strikeouts this season. Gausman is 2-3 with a 4.55 ERA and 36 strikeouts in his career against the Astros.

The Houston Astros have scored 11 runs in their last 3 games and 4 or more runs in 6 of their last 8 games. The Astros are 7-3 this season when scoring 4 or more runs. Mauricio Dubon leads the Astros with 17 hits and 2 RBI, while Jose Abreu and Kyle Tucker have combined for 32 hits and 18 RBI. Cristian Javier gets the ball, and he is 1-0 with a 4.24 ERA and 14 strikeouts this season. This will be Javier’s second career game against the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays are 6-1 in their last 7 Monday games and 9-3 in their last 12 overall. The Astros are 64-29 in their last 93 home games and 43-20 in their last 63 overall. The under is 3-1-1 in Blue Jays last 5 overall. The over is 11-4 in Astros last 15 overall. The under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings.

This should be a hell of a series between two title contenders and explosive offenses. The difference in this matchup is the Toronto Blue Jays are playing the better baseball at the moment, and Kevin Gausman has been sharper on the mound than Cristian Javier. Toss up game, give me the Blue Jays given their form.