Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: R.A. Dickey vs. Lance McCullers

The Toronto Blue Jays head to Minute Maid Park on Tuesday to take on the Houston Astros. The probable pitchers are R.A. Dickey for the Blue Jays and Lance McCullers for the Astros. The Blue Jays have a 43-57-5 over/under mark and a 54-51-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Astros are 46-58-0 against the run line and have a 46-52-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Blue Jays head into this game with a 59-46 record, and they are 27-22 on the road. Starting pitcher R.A. Dickey has a 7-12 record with an ERA of 4.66 and a WHIP of 1.34. He has 95 strikeouts during his 131.1 innings pitched and he has given up 127 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 8.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 5.49. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.12 and they have allowed 283 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .250 against the pen while they've been struck out 285 times and walked 83 times this year. As a unit, Toronto has given up 8.21 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.83 hitters per nine. They are 7th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.83. The Blue Jays pitchers have collectively given up 870 base hits and 406 earned runs. They have allowed 124 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 294 batters and struck out 830. They walk 2.8 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.8 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.22 and their FIP as a unit is 4.14.

As a team, Toronto is hitting .250, good for 18th in the league while putting together a .238 average on the road. The Blue Jays have a .436 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .331 which is good for 5th in the league. They rank 18th in baseball with 8.5 hits per contest. Edwin Encarnacion comes into this game hitting .266 and his on-base percentage is at .356. He has 103 hits this season along with 65 runs scored and 89 runs batted in. He's struck out 92 times and has walked 52 times. Josh Donaldson is hitting .298 and he has an on-base percentage of .409. He has totaled 117 hits so far while scoring 87 runs and he's driven in 74. He has walked 70 times and has struck out 77 times. The Blue Jays have 893 hits, including 188 doubles and 149 home runs. They've stolen 33 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 15 times. Toronto has walked 406 times this season and they've struck out 868 times as a unit. They've left 715 men on base and have a team OPS of .768. They score 4.93 runs per contest and have scored a total of 518 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this game with a 32-21 home mark and a 55-49 overall record. With an ERA of 3.18, Lance McCullers has a 6-4 record and a 1.53 WHIP. He has 100 strikeouts over the 76.1 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 73 hits. He has allowed 8.6 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 2.75. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.17 and they have given up 295 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .229 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 367 times and walking 80 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.9 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.39 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.89. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 933 base knocks and 407 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 105 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 288 hitters and struck out 881. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.4 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.29 while their FIP as a staff is 3.71.

As a team, they are batting .244, good for 24th in the league while putting together a .240 average at home. The Astros hold a .419 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .322 which is good for 16th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.34 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .267 and he has an OBP of .364. He has 101 hits this year along with 52 runs scored and 67 RBI. He's struck out 96 times and has walked on 54 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .356 and he has an OBP of .425. He has collected 145 hits so far while he's scored 77 runs and drove in 62. He has earned a walk 46 times and has punched out 43 times. The Astros as a unit have 867 base hits, including 182 doubles and 133 homers. They have 78 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Houston as a team has walked 383 times this year and they have struck out 953 times. They've had 717 men left on base and have an OPS of .741. They score 4.5 runs per game and have totaled 468 runs so far this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 43-57-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 54-51-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 46-52-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 46-58-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

07/31/16 SS Troy Tulowitzki Thumb "?" Monday vs. Houston Astros
07/02/16 2B Ryan Goins Forearm 15-day DL (7/2)
06/27/16 P Gavin Floyd Shoulder 60-day DL (6/26)

Houston Astros

07/29/16 P Doug Fister Personal expected to go on the paternity leave list
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros

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