Houston Astros vs Toronto Blue Jays Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/08/2023

Game Time: 7:07 pm ET, Thursday, June 8, 2023

Venue:  Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON

Where to Watch:  MLB Network

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -130, Blue Jays +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -130, Blue Jays +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Astros -130, Blue Jays +110; Over/Under:  8.5 runs

Houston Astros:  36-25 (2nd place, AL West)

Toronto Blue Jays:  34-28 (4th place, AL East)

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Houston Astros:  6-4 last 10

Toronto Blue Jays:  7-3 last 10

The Astros are entering this game off of a loss in their last game but won their 4-game series against the Los Angeles Angels 3-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 36-25 record overall and have a road record of 18-11. This is the series finale of a 4-game series with the Blue Jays on Thursday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 20th in the MLB with a .719 OPS. Ronel Blanco is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Framber Valdez is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 6-4 with a 2.16 ERA this season. His team won their last 5 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 0 ER, 0 HR, and 1 BB with 7 Ks on 5 hits through 7 IP against the LA Angels.

The Blue Jays are entering this game off of a win in their last game and completed the sweep 3-0 in their 3-game series against the New York Mets in their last series. They enter this game with a 34-28 record overall and have a home record of 16-11. This is the 4th game of a 4-game series with the Astros on Thursday with the 3rd game of this series still to be played on Wednesday. Their offense ranks 6th in the MLB with a .759 OPS. Chris Bassitt is their starting pitcher on Wednesday while José Berríos is making his start in this game on Thursday. He is 5-4 with a 3.66 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 3 BB with 6 strikeouts on 4 hits through 6 innings played against the New York Mets.

The current betting odds have the Astros listed as a slight favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Astros have been playing a lot better lately after their slow start to the season, their offense hasn't been great this year but it is starting to get better now while their pitching has been a solid constant all season. The Blue Jays have a really good offense but their pitching has been really bad and they aren't going to have it any better with Berrios starting here. Berrios was bad last season and so far he has had some good starts, but for the most part he has been the same starter he was last season and has been giving up a ton of runs in his starts. Valdez is up for the Astros and he is coming off a great season but he has also continued to pitch well into this year. He is one of the best starters in the Astros rotation right now and their bullpen has also been a lot better than the Blue Jays bullpen. This is a game that the Astros will win with their great pitching staff as they look to start surging and chase down the Rangers who lead the AL West. The best way to place a bet here is on the Astros to win this game.

Astros Blue Jays Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Thursday, June 8, 2023 (7:07 pm ET start time) is Astros 4 Blue Jays 1.

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Houston Astros: 21-9 (+10.5 units) on the moneyline when the total is 8.5 to 10. 18-11 (+7.2 units) on the moneyline in road games. 16-7 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150. 54-30 UNDER on the road with a money line of -100 to -150.

Toronto Blue Jays: 40-48 (-29 units) on the moneyline against left-handed starters. 39-38 (-13.7 units) on the moneyline against AL West opponents. 16-9 UNDER in home games. JOSE BERRIOS is 6-1 UNDER at home when the money line is +125 to -125.

Houston Astros:  J. Altuve (2B) Prob Wed - Oblique. M. Brantley (DH) Mid June - Shoulder. J. Urquidy (SP) Late June - Shoulder. L. McCullers Jr. (SP) Mid July - Elbow. L. Garcia (SP) out for season - Elbow.

Toronto Blue Jays:  M. Chapman (3B) Prob Wed - Toe. C. Bassitt (SP) Prob Wed - Personal. D. Jansen (C) Mid June - Groin. M. White (SP) Mid June - Elbow. Z. Pop (RP) Mid June - Hamstring. C. Green (RP) Late July - Elbow. H. Ryu (SP) Mid July - Elbow.

“Hunter was good.” - Dusty Baker on Hunter Brown after his team’s loss against the Blue Jays in their game on Tuesday.

“For me, the no walks is more important to me than the 13 strikeouts. I’m just out there trying to make good pitches. I made a lot of good pitches with two strikes.” - Kevin Gausman after their win against the Astros in their game on Tuesday.

Mauricio Dubon (R) 2B

Jeremy Pena (R) SS

Yordan Alvarez (L) DH

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Kyle Tucker (L) RF

Jose Abreu (R) 1B

Corey Julks (R) LF

Jake Meyers (R) CF

Martin Maldonado (R) C

George Springer (R) RF

Bo Bichette (R) SS

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) DH

Brandon Belt (L) 1B

Whit Merrifield (R) 2B

Daulton Varsho (L) LF

Alejandro Kirk (R) C

Kevin Kiermaier (L) CF

Santiago Espinal (R) 3B

Batting Average:  Mauricio Dubon (.294)

Hits:  Kyle Tucker (59)

Home Runs:  Yordan Alvarez (16)

RBI:  Yordan Alvarez (53)

Stolen Bases:  Kyle Tucker (8)

Wins:  Cristian Javier (7)

Saves:  Ryan Pressly (11)

ERA:  Hector Neris (1.13)

Batting Average:  Ernie Clement (.400)

Hits:  Bo Bichette (88)

Home Runs:  Bo Bichette (13)

RBI:  Bo Bichette (41)

Stolen Bases:  Whit Merrifield (16)

Wins:  Yusei Kikuchi (6)

Saves:  Jordan Romano (15)

ERA:  Thomas Hatch (0.00)

Managers:

Houston Astros: Dusty Baker (4th season)

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (2nd season)