Houston Astros at Toronto Blue Jays MLB Game Picks 8/31/2019

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Rogers Centre

Get todays MLB odds and lines on this game.

Probable Pitchers: Framber Valdez vs. Clay Buchholz

Michael Brantley and the Houston Astros (87-48, 1st in AL West) head to Rogers Centre on Saturday where they'll meet the Toronto Blue Jays (54-81, 4th in AL East). The odds on this contest have the Astros priced at -170 and the Blue Jays are at +160. The total is set at 10.5.

The Astros have been an excellent choice for MLB wagerers, having gone 87-48-0 SU. The Blue Jays cover 40.0% of the time, going 54-81-0 straight up.

Valuable Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Astros have been an inconsistent Under option for over/under wagerers, having gone 60-70-5.

The Astros cover 52.3% of the time as a visitor, having gone 34-31-0 straight up.

Important Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Blue Jays cover 39.4% of the time at Rogers Centre, going 26-40-0 SU.

The Blue Jays have been an inconsistent Under option for over/under wagerers, having gone 62-68-5.

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Key Houston Astros Injuries

8/29/2019 Brad Peacock SP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 15
8/28/2019 Carlos Correa SS Back Expected to be out until at least Sep 10
8/22/2019 Ryan Pressly RP Knee Expected to be out until at least Sep 20
8/21/2019 Josh James RP Shoulder Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/21/2019 Aaron Sanchez SP Pectoral Expected to be out until at least Sep 5
6/9/2019 Lance McCullers SP Elbow Out for the season

Key Toronto Blue Jays Injuries

8/27/2019 Lourdes Gurriel LF Quadriceps Expected to be out until at least Sep 5
8/21/2019 Luke Maile C Oblique Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/11/2019 Ryan Borucki SP Elbow Out for the season
8/9/2019 Elvis Luciano RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 25
8/7/2019 Clayton Richard SP Lat Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/7/2019 Ryan Tepera RP Elbow Expected to be out until at least Sep 1
8/7/2019 Devon Travis 2B Knee Out for the season
7/22/2019 Matt Shoemaker SP Knee Out for the season

Useful Pitching Statistics

The Astros have a 87-48 overall record this season. Starting pitcher Framber Valdez has a 4-6 record with an earned run average of 5.14 and a WHIP of 1.54 this season. He has 53 strikeouts over his 56 innings pitched and he's given up 55 hits. He's allowed 8.8 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 4.82. The bullpen has an earned run average of 3.80 and they have given up 391 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .227 against the bullpen and they've struck out 490 hitters and walked 165 batters. As a team, Houston allows 7.5 hits per nine innings while striking out 10.1 batters per nine innings. They are 4th in the league in team earned run average at 3.72. The Astros pitchers collectively have given up 1,013 base hits and 502 earned runs. They have allowed 198 home runs this season, ranking them 8th in the league. Houston as a pitching staff has walked 377 batters and struck out 1,359. They have walked 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 10.1 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.15 and their FIP as a unit is 4.12.

Related: Get MLB predictions on all of today's games

Hitting Statistics

As a team Houston is hitting .275, good for 2nd in the league. The Astros hold a .490 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .352, which is good for 1st in baseball. They rank 3rd in MLB with 9.5 hits per game. Michael Brantley is hitting .332 with an on-base percentage of .393. He has 163 hits this season in 491 at bats with 80 runs batted in. He has a slugging percentage of .536 and an OPS+ of 143. George Springer is hitting .293 this year and he has an on-base percentage of .382. He has totaled 118 hits and he has driven in 73 men in 403 at bats. His OPS+ is 145 while his slugging percentage is at .561. The Astros have 1,283 hits, including 271 doubles and 229 home runs. Houston has walked 526 times so far this season and they have struck out 963 times as a unit. They have left 969 men on base and have a team OPS of .842. They score 5.59 runs per contest and have scored a total of 755 runs this year.

Useful Pitching Statistics

Toronto has a 54-81 overall mark this year. With an earned run average of 5.87, Clay Buchholz has a 0-3 record and a 1.34 WHIP. He has 15 strikeouts over the 30.2 innings he's pitched. He also has given up 35 hits. He's allowing 10.3 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 5.37. The bullpen has an earned run average of 4.34 and they have given up 547 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .243 against the Blue Jays bullpen. Their relievers have struck out 594 batters and walked 265 opposing hitters. As a team, Toronto allows 9.1 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.2 batters per nine innings. They are 21st in the league in team earned run average at 4.73. The Blue Jays pitchers as a team have surrendered 1,207 base knocks and 629 earned runs this season. They have given up 190 home runs this year, which ranks 13th in Major League Baseball. Toronto as a staff has walked 507 hitters and struck out 1,095 batters. They give up a walk 3.8 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.2 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.43 while their FIP as a staff is 4.85.

Hitting Statistics

As a team, they are batting .237, good for 29th in the league. The Blue Jays hold a .425 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .304, which is good for 28th in baseball. They rank 30th in MLB with 8.0 hits per contest. Randal Grichuk comes into this matchup batting .236 with an OBP of .290. He has 115 hits this year along with 59 RBI in 487 AB's. He maintains a slugging percentage of .439 with an OPS+ of 91. Justin Smoak is hitting .215 this season and he has an OBP of .354. He has collected 78 hits in 362 at bats while driving in 55 runs. He has an OPS+ of 106 and a slugging percentage of .417. The Blue Jays as a unit have 1,085 base hits, including 224 doubles and 203 homers. Toronto has walked 419 times this year and they have struck out on 1,228 occasions. They have had 828 men left on base and have an OPS of .729. They have scored 4.46 runs per game and totaled 602 runs this season.

Who will win tonight's Astros/Blue Jays MLB game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Blue Jays (+160)

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