Toronto Blue Jays vs Houston Astros Prediction, 5/8/2021 MLB Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Toronto Blue Jays vs Houston Astros

Date: Saturday, May 8, 2021

Location: Minute Maid Park in Houston, TX

TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest

Steven Matz and the Toronto Blue Jays (16-14, 3rd in AL East) head to Minute Maid Park on Saturday where they'll take on the Houston Astros (16-15, 3rd in AL West).

Toronto has a slugging % of .400 and have been rung up 257 times, while drawing a walk on 93 occasions. They have tallied 134 runs batted in in addition to 243 hits this season, and their team batting average is at .241. The Blue Jays have compiled 35 doubles as a unit and have knocked 41 baseballs out of the park. They have 144 runs scored while having a team OBP of .311. As a team, the Toronto Blue Jays are scoring 4.8 runs per outing, which puts them at 8th in the league.

The Blue Jays are sitting with a team earned run average of 3.56 for the season (8th in the league), and their staff has struck out 260 batters. Their pitching staff has walked 85 players from the other team and their FIP is 4.10 as a unit on the season. They have earned a K/BB ratio of 3.06 and their pitching staff holds a WHIP of 1.21. Blue Jays pitchers have conceded 37 home runs and also 114 runs (7th in the league).

The Blue Jays have dispatched 109 relief pitchers to the hill this season. The relief pitchers have inherited 52 runners so far this season with 25.0% of those runners ended up scoring. They have 7 saves on the year and have blown 1 of their 8 save chances. The Blue Jays relief pitchers have a save percentage of 87.5% and stepped onto the hill in 27 save situations. The relievers have recorded 17 holds over the course of the season (15th in MLB). Blue Jays pitchers have entered the game with opponents on base 37 times and also have had 39 appearances in high leverage situations.

The Blue Jays have turned 70.2% of balls in play into outs out of their 2,346 innings on the field, ranking them 16th in baseball. The Toronto Blue Jays have notched a total of 782 putouts this season, as well as 289 assists and 18 errors. Their fielding percentage sits at .983 which puts them in 16th in pro baseball, and they have twisted 202 double plays.

Matz (35-43 career mark) is the owner of a FIP of 4.48 and he has faced 2,616 batters during his time in the major leagues. He has conceded 614 base knocks (9.0 hits per 9 innings) and has 190 free passes. His earned run average is 4.37 (297 earned runs allowed) and his career WHIP is 1.314. Matz has taken the hill for 611 innings and is sitting with 585 punch outs so far in his career.

The Astros have a team slugging % of .410 and they score 4.87 runs per contest (7th in MLB). They have put up 58 doubles, while taking a walk 86 times as well as putting up 151 runs. Houston has compiled 33 HRs on the year to go along with 143 runs batted in. They have been rung up on 227 instances (28th in MLB) and have accounted for 267 base knocks. The Houston Astros have earned an OBP of .316 in addition to a team batting average of .254 for the year.

The Astros have a team WHIP of 1.210 in addition to having a FIP of 4.04 as a staff on the season. They are currently ranked 14th in baseball as a staff in total hits allowed with 230. The Houston pitching staff have allowed 123 runs so far this season while holding an ERA of 3.90 (118 earned runs relinquished). Their strikeout to walk ratio comes in at 2.82 (279 strikeouts vs 99 free passes). They have allowed 35 dingers and they surrender 4.07 runs per 9 innings (10th in the league).

Houston relief pitchers have an inherited score rate of 43.5% out of 46 inherited base runners. Their bullpen pitchers have stepped onto the hill 28 times in high leverage situations and on 25 occasions with runners on base. With 25 save situations, the Astros have 13 holds in addition to 4 blown saves. They sit at 17th in the league with a save rate of 63.6%, and they have dispatched 93 bullpen pitchers onto the diamond this year. Houston has called on relievers to step onto the hill in 11 save opportunities and they have come away with 7 saves.

Out of their 2,448 innings on the field, the Astros have a defensive efficiency of 71.3% (10th in professional baseball). The Houston Astros have turned 27 double plays and own a fielding percentage of .989 (3rd in pro baseball). The Astros have racked up 248 assists, 12 errors and have notched a total of 816 putouts over the course of the season.

In his MLB career, Javier has given up 51 base hits and he has 84 punch outs in 80 innings pitched. Javier (8-2 mark in his career) holds a 2.93 earned run average while conceding 5.7 hits per nine innings. He has allowed a total of 26 earned runs while earning a WHIP of 0.963 and a FIP of 4.2. His strikeout to walk ratio is 3.23 and he has faced 314 hitters so far in his career.

Who will win tonight's MLB game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Houston

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