The Houston Astros (8-9, 5-6 home) continue to host the Toronto Blue Jays (10-7, 6-5 away) in the second game of a three-game series in the Lone Star State. Houston opened up the series with a 9-2 victory the previous night, powered by a seven-run first inning.
Tuesday’s first pitch is at 8:10 p.m. EST inside Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas. Houston is favored (-115 moneyline), and the over/under total is nine runs.
What to Know – Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto dropped its second game in a row and were outscored 17-2 in the process. The Blue Jays are in third place in the AL East as we enter the third week of the season, trailing the Tampa Bay Rays by four games.
Right-hander Chris Bassitt (1-2, 7.63 ERA, 1.63 WHIP) is scheduled to make his fourth start of the season for the Blue Jays. Bassitt struggled out of the gate, but has put together a pair of quality starts since the opener. This season, the 34-year-old has pitched 15.1 innings, allowing 13 earned runs, 17 hits, walking eight, and striking out 12 batters.
On offense, the Blue Jays have been one of the better teams at the plate over the first month, hitting .271 and scoring 4.8 runs per game. Toronto’s splits have been nearly identical, either facing a right-handed or left-handed pitcher.
Matt Chapman has been the biggest surprise for the Blue Jays’ offense. The third baseman is hitting .410 with four home runs and 16 runs batted in. Chapman has gotten on base safely in all but one game this year.
What to Know – Houston Astros
The Astros dropped two of three over the weekend to the Texas Rangers but opened up the series against Toronto with a win in hopes of capturing just its second series victory of the year. The defending World Series champions are 2.5 games back in the AL West standings.
Houston turns to righty Jose Urquidy (1-0, 2.35 ERA, 1.37 WHIP) to get the Astros back to .500. Urquidy has been solid in all three trips to the mound this year and is coming off a six-inning shutout effort in his last outing. Over three starts, the 27-year-old has pitched 15.1 innings, surrendering four earned runs on 16 hits and five walks while striking out 13 batters.
The offense for the Astros ranks 13th in the MLB batting .251 as a team and averages 5.1 runs per game. Houston has failed to score five or more runs in back-to-back games in all but two instances this year.
The bat of Yordan Alvarez continues to be the spark in the Houston lineup. Alvarez has swatted four home runs and driven in a team-high 20 RBIs. That RBI total is tied for first in the majors.
The Pick is In
You think of offense when you see these two teams, but Tuesday’s matchup is a sneaky good pitching duel between a pair of arms that are both coming off solid previous starts. Look for a tight game, with the Toronto bats collecting a few more key hits than the hosts.
The Pick: Toronto Blue Jays ML
