Blue Jays vs Astros odds, picks and predictions today: Will Houston take off?

The Toronto Blue Jays (9-5, 1st in the AL East) sit atop the AL and scored first last night after some ninth-inning heroics from Matt Chapman.

The Houston Astros (6-7, 4th in the American League West) haven’t had the start they hoped for, and are now losers of three straight games and six of their last eight. Can the Astros turn it around or will the Blue Jays keep the ball rolling and win Game 2 of the three-game series?

Read on for free MLB picks and predictions for the Blue Jays vs. Astros matchup on Saturday, April 23.

Blue Jays vs Astros Odds

This odds widget represents the best odds available for each regulated bookmaker betting market.

The Blue Jays opened as -125 favorites and can be found as low as -115 at BetMGM. The total opened at 8.5 and has stayed at that number.

Use the live odds widget above to keep track of any future line movement to kickoff and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.

Blue Jays vs Astros Tips & Predictions

Selections made on 4/23/2022 at 12:45 pm ET.
Click on each selection to access the full analysis.

Game info Blue Jays vs Astros

• Location: Minute Maid Park, Houston, TX
• Date: Saturday, April 23, 2022
• first pitch: 4:10 p.m. Eastern Time
• TELEVISION: SportsNet

Blue Jays vs Astros betting preview

starting pitchers

Alek Manoah (2-0, 1.50 ERA): The 24-year-old emerging arm is living up to the hype so far, making two quality starts in 2022 following his rookie campaign last year, in which he posted a 3.22 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 111.1 innings pitched.

Jose Urquidy (1-1, 7.00 ERA): Urquidy didn’t have the same level of enthusiasm as Manoah, but he has pitched with a more than solid 3.71 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in his four-year career thus far. Urquidy struggled in his last start, however, as he allowed eight hits and six earned runs in four innings against Seattle.

Weather

Be sure to monitor game weather conditions with our MLB weather information.

key injuries

Tiles: George Springer OF (Questionable), Teoscar Hernandez OF (Out), Nate Pearson RP (Out).
Stars: Jose Altuve 2B (Out), Ryan Pressly RP (Out).
Find our latest MLB injury reports.

Betting trend to know

Houston has gone 8-5 to the Under and Toronto has gone 10-4. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. stars

Blue Jays vs Astros Picks and Predictions

Our side and total predictions are based on our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite selection in all markets.

money line analysis

This may finally be the year the Toronto Blue Jays put it together. Vladamir Guerrero Jr is getting his 2021 All-Star campaign off to a blistering start, posting a .320 batting average, 1.046 OPS, 5 home runs and 11 RBIs. The additions of veterans like George Springer last year and Matt Chapman this year (.271 BA, .340 OBP) have helped fill out the lineup and give him threats up and down the order.

There have been similar additions to the mound, between the addition of José Berríos (3.58 ERA in 2021) at the trade deadline last year, newly acquired 2021 All-Star Kevin Gausman (2.89 ERA, 22 Ks), or the recovery by Yusei Kikuchi. experiment (3.24 ERA).

Those additions have helped round out a rotation seemingly anchored by local Alek Manoah, who wowed even his biggest hypemakers last year by pitching with a 3.22 ERA and 127 strikeouts in just 111 innings pitched in his rookie season as a player. 23 years old. -ancient. Manoah is also off to a solid start in 2022, making two quality starts with two six-inning outings with just two earned runs combined in the two.

Manoah will take the mound on Saturday afternoon against an unknown foe, having yet to face the Astros in his career. Known largely for their powerful hitting lineup, the Astros can pose a threat from anywhere in their lineup. The latest call-up from their renowned farm system is shortstop Jeremy Pena, who has been inserted into the leadoff spot after a blistering start (.286 BA, .354 OBP, 8 R).

Pena is flanked by the usual names like Alex Bregman (.273 BA, 9 RBI), Michael Brantley (.265 BA), Yordan Alvarez (3 HR in eight games) and last year’s call-up Chas McCormick, who is hitting a leading team .313. In particular, there are a few names missing from that list, with Kyle Tucker (.087 BA), Yuli Gurriel (.184) and José Altuve (.167) all off to slow starts through 2022, and Altuve currently on the 10-man disabled list. days.

On the mound for the Astros will be Jose Urquidy, who opened the season with just one earned run against the Angels in five innings but was later beaten for six earned runs in four innings against Seattle. Urquidy has been in the league for four years and is shaping up to be a high-end arm in the middle of the rotation, with a 12-6 career record and a 3.71 ERA.

Saturday afternoon’s matchup offers a good low buying point for the Astros, who are desperately looking for a win after losing three in a row and six of their last eight. Urquidy is certainly a much better arm than his latest outing would suggest, and while Manoah is potentially one of the league’s future studs, he can’t throw at his current marks for an entire season.

Prediction: Houston ML (+100 at DraftKings)

Over/Under Analysis

Both teams have played friendlies against the Under so far in 2022, with Houston going 8-5 and Toronto going 10-4 even better. Toronto also played remarkably for Under last year, going 84-69-9 (54.9%).

And to be honest, it would be better to bet on Unders until he improves his hitting throughout the league. So far, 2022 has marked an all-time low for batting average, as the league continues to face the challenge of pitchers improving at a faster rate than hitters can keep up.

There are currently FIFTY-SIX hitters batting at or below .200.

The batting average for the league as a whole is .231.

That’s the lowest league batting average in baseball history since 1871.

— Alex Fast (@AlexFast8) April 22, 2022

And if the proliferation of the defensive switch is to blame, then this matchup on Saturday is one to lean toward the Under for that reason. Toronto changes in an astonishing 76.8% of all plate appearances, which not only leads the league but is also 14.2% higher than the second-highest mark. The Astros trade in 47.6% of plate appearances, which is still good for sixth-most in the league.

Prediction: Under 8.5 (-100 at BetRivers)

best bet

Understandably, it takes just one look at Saturday’s Game 2 between the Blue Jays and Astros to want to back the Blue Jays. The Blue Jays are the best team in the American League and are winners of three straight games, including last night’s decisive victory in the ninth.

The Astros have lost three in a row and six of their last eight, and they have cold, ill-timed bats that are scoring the eighth-fewest runs per game in the league. Urquidy was also beaten by an inferior Mariners matchup, so why should he fare better against the Blue Jays?

But in baseball, things tend to become more normalized results. The chances that the Blue Jays and Alek Manoah can continue at this rate while the Astros and Jose Urquidy continue to struggle as they have are infinitesimally small. That’s not to say it can’t happen on Saturday, but over the course of the season, these performances should be expected to come back down to earth in both directions.

Expect the Astros to even up the series and give themselves a chance to win it tomorrow.

Choose: Houston ML (+100 at DraftKings)