Thursday, August 4, 2016

Minute Maid Park

For Updated Odds on This Game Click Here

Probable Pitchers: J.A. Happ vs. Mike Fiers

The Toronto Blue Jays head to Minute Maid Park on Thursday to take on the Houston Astros. The probable pitchers are J.A. Happ for the Blue Jays and Mike Fiers for the Astros. The opening line for this game has Toronto at -120 and Houston at +110. The over/under is 8.5. The Blue Jays have a 43-59-5 over/under mark and a 55-52-0 run line record, meaning they cover 51% of the time. The Astros are 47-59-0 against the run line and have a 46-54-6 over/under record. They cover the spread 44% of the time.

The Blue Jays head into this game with a 60-47 record, and they are 28-23 on the road. Starting pitcher J.A. Happ has a 14-3 record with an ERA of 3.16 and a WHIP of 1.16. He has 111 strikeouts during his 131 innings pitched and he has given up 112 hits so far this year. He has surrendered 7.7 hits per 9 innings and he has a FIP of 3.93. The bullpen this season has an earned run average of 4.03 and they have allowed 288 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .248 against the pen while they've been struck out 293 times and walked 85 times this year. As a unit, Toronto has given up 8.15 base hits per nine innings while striking out 7.9 hitters per nine. They are 7th in the Majors in team earned run average at 3.77. The Blue Jays pitchers have collectively given up 884 base hits and 409 earned runs. They have allowed 125 home runs this season and they allow 1.2 homers per nine innings as a staff. Toronto as a pitching staff has walked 297 batters and struck out 856. They walk 2.7 men per 9 innings while striking out 7.9 per 9. They have a team WHIP of 1.21 and their FIP as a unit is 4.09.

As a team, Toronto is hitting .248, good for 20th in the league while putting together a .235 average on the road. The Blue Jays have a .433 team slugging percentage and an OBP of .329 which is good for 9th in the league. They rank 20th in baseball with 8.48 hits per contest. Edwin Encarnacion comes into this game hitting .265 and his on-base percentage is at .354. He has 105 hits this season along with 66 runs scored and 90 runs batted in. He's struck out 97 times and has walked 53 times. Josh Donaldson is hitting .296 and he has an on-base percentage of .407. He has totaled 118 hits so far while scoring 87 runs and he's driven in 74. He has walked 70 times and has struck out 79 times. The Blue Jays have 907 hits, including 189 doubles and 152 home runs. They've stolen 33 bases while they've been thrown out stealing 15 times. Toronto has walked 411 times this season and they've struck out 904 times as a unit. They've left 729 men on base and have a team OPS of .762. They score 4.87 runs per contest and have scored a total of 521 runs so far this year.

Houston comes into this game with a 33-22 home mark and a 56-50 overall record. With an ERA of 4.42, Mike Fiers has a 7-4 record and a 1.36 WHIP. He has 77 strikeouts over the 110 innings he's pitched during which he has given up 123 hits. He has allowed 10.1 hits per nine innings and his FIP stands at 4.61. So far this season the bullpen has an earned run average of 3.08 and they have given up 298 base hits on the year. Teams are hitting .224 against the Astros bullpen while being struck out 389 times and walking 83 times this season. As a team, Houston has allowed 8.81 hits per nine innings while striking out 8.53 batters per nine. They are 8th in the league in team earned run average at 3.82. The Astros pitchers as a team have surrendered 947 base knocks and 410 earned runs so far this season. They have given up 108 home runs this year and they give up 1.1 home runs per nine innings as a staff. Houston as a staff has walked 293 hitters and struck out 917. They give up a walk 2.7 times per 9 innings while they strike out 8.5 per 9. Their team WHIP is 1.28 while their FIP as a staff is 3.67.

As a team, they are batting .243, good for 25th in the league while putting together a .237 average at home. The Astros hold a .415 team slugging percentage and an on-base percentage of .320 which is good for 17th in baseball. They rank 23rd in baseball with 8.31 hits per contest. Carlos Correa comes into this matchup batting .269 and he has an OBP of .365. He has 104 hits this year along with 52 runs scored and 68 RBI. He's struck out 98 times and has walked on 55 occasions. Jose Altuve is hitting .360 and he has an OBP of .426. He has collected 150 hits so far while he's scored 79 runs and drove in 63. He has earned a walk 46 times and has punched out 46 times. The Astros as a unit have 881 base hits, including 184 doubles and 134 homers. They have 79 stolen bases while they've been thrown out 30 times. Houston as a team has walked 386 times this year and they have struck out 979 times. They've had 731 men left on base and have an OPS of .735. They score 4.44 runs per game and have totaled 471 runs so far this season.

Toronto Blue Jays Betting Trends

The Toronto Blue Jays are 43-59-5 against the over/under so far this season

The Toronto Blue Jays are 55-52-0 against the run line so far this season

Houston Astros Betting Trends

The Houston Astros are 46-54-6 against the over/under so far this season

The Houston Astros are 47-59-0 against the run line so far this season

Injuries to Watch

Toronto Blue Jays

08/02/16 RF Ezequiel Carrera Achilles 15-day DL (8/1)
08/02/16 SS Troy Tulowitzki Thumb "?" Wednesday vs. Houston Astros
06/27/16 P Gavin Floyd Shoulder 60-day DL (6/26)

Houston Astros

08/03/16 P Lance McCullers Elbow "?" for next scheduled start
08/02/16 P Luke Gregerso Oblique 15-day DL (7/28)
07/29/16 3B Luis Valbuena Hamstring 15-day DL (7/27)

Tony's Pick: Take the Astros

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here

Read more articles by Tony Sink