The Toronto Blue Jays will look to rebound on Tuesday night after being held hitless by the Houston Astros in their series opener on Monday.
Astros starting pitcher Ronel Blanco, making just his eighth career start, mowed down the Jays using 105 pitches to record the 17th no-hitter in franchise history. He struck out seven batters while issuing just a pair of walks to George Springer. Blanco secured the last spot in Houston’s starting rotation last Tuesday, just hours before his wife had given birth to their second child. It was just the eighth time the Blue Jays had been no-hit in franchise history.
Bet on Blue Jays vs. Astros
TOR +138
HOU -150
The lopsided 10-0 win helped the Astros snap a four-game losing streak to start the season after they were swept by the New York Yankees.
Let’s take a look at the best odds available for Tuesday’s clash between these two American League teams:
Blue Jays vs. Astros best odds
| Blue Jays Moneyline Odds | +138 at Pinnacle |
| Astros Moneyline Odds | -150 at PointsBet |
| Runline Odds | Astros -1.5 (+138) at NorthStar Bets Blue Jays +1.5 (-150) at PowerPlay |
| Over/Under | Over 8.5 runs (+102) at Pinnacle Under 8.5 runs (-114) at Pinnacle |
| Time/Date | April 2, 8:10 p.m. ET |
| TV | Broadcast: Sportsnet 1 |
Betting Toronto Blue Jays (2-3 SU, 2-3 ATS, 4-1 o/u)
There were concerns entering the season that Toronto wouldn’t be able to produce enough runs to remain competitive in the AL this season, and those concerns were legitimized Monday when the team was no-hit by Blanco, who probably wouldn’t even have made Houston’s starting rotation if not for a rash of injuries. Toronto has scored two runs or less in three of its five games to start the season, but the bats have also shown promise in the team’s two victories in which they scored eight and nine runs, respectively. The bad news is that the Blue Jays will now face Houston’s Opening Day starter, Framber Valdez, on the heels of their collective miserable performance at the plate on Monday.
The absence of shortstop Bo Bichette, arguably Toronto’s best all-around hitter, from the lineup on Monday certainly didn’t help their cause. He remains day-to-day with neck spasms, so bettors will want to monitor his status leading up to first pitch. Pitchers Alek Manoah (shoulder), Jordan Romano (elbow), and Erik Swanson (forearm), won’t be available on Tuesday and Genesis Cabrera could begin serving a suspension as we await a verdict on his appeal for his role in a bench-clearing incident with the Tampa Bay Rays. Catcher Danny Jansen (wrist) is also on the shelf.
Betting Houston Astros (1-4 SU, 1-4 ATS, 1-3-1 o/u)
The Astros responded in the biggest way possible to their sweep at the hands of the Yankees. In addition to Blanco making history with his outstanding pitching performance on Monday, Houston hitters combined for five homers and five of them enjoyed multi-hit games. Both Kyle Tucker and Yainer Diaz swatted a pair of homers apiece and Jeremy Pena picked up his first long ball of the season. Before Monday’s outburst, the Astros had combined for just 11 runs in four games against New York.
Houston’s struggling relievers, who have already coughed up 12 earned runs, took losses in each of the four games against the Yankees, but the group got a day off with Blanco going the distance on Monday, so they’ll be well-rested and ready to take on big innings on Tuesday if needed. Houston currently has nine pitchers on the injured list.
Jose Altuve over 1.5 total bases
+120
Probable pitchers
Toronto: RHP Jose Berrios (1-0, 3.00 ERA, 9.0 K/9, 1.17 WHIP)
Berrios was dialled in throughout spring training and his success carried over to his first start of the season last week against the Rays. The righty threw six strong innings allowing two earned runs while striking out six with 91 pitches to pick up his first win of the new campaign. Historically, Berrios has struggled in nine career starts against the Astros, who have hit a combined .344 off him in those outings.
Houston: LHP Framber Valdez (0-0, 5.79 ERA, 9.64 K/9, 2.36 WHIP)
Valdez didn’t factor into the decision of a 5-4 loss to the Yankees on Opening Day after allowing three runs on five hits and six walks with five strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings. In his lone start against Toronto last season, he yielded three runs on four hits and four walks with five strikeouts over five innings in a 3-2 loss on June 8. He’s 1-3 with a bloated 5.48 ERA over four career starts against Toronto with 20 strikeouts and 11 walks in 23 innings.
Weather
The retractable dome is rarely open at Minute Maid Park, but Tuesday night will provide ideal conditions for baseball with temperatures around 22 C this evening with clear skies. If the dome is open, winds will be blowing in from left field at around 30 km/h.
MLB betting trends
- Toronto is 32-37 on the moneyline against left-handed starters over the past three seasons.
- The Blue Jays have hit the first five Innings (F5) team total under in 18 of their past 26 games.
- The Astros have hit the team total under in 32 of their last 53 games at home.
MLB player prop trends
- Berrios has recorded five or more strikeouts in seven straight games dating back to last season, averaging seven per game during that span. He’s -149 to record over 4.5 strikeouts at NorthStar Bets.
- Valdez has allowed five hits or more in five straight starts dating back to last season, averaging 5.8 per game during that stretch. He’s -118 at Betano to allow over 4.5 hits.
- Jose Altuve has at least one hit in 10 straight games dating back to last season, but there’s not much value in betting this over unless it’s part of a parlay. The best odds out there for him to get a hit can be found at NorthStar Bets (-250).
MLB bets to consider
- Altuve over 1.5 total bases: +120 (Sports Interaction). This would’ve cashed Monday had it not been for a favourable bounce off the outfield wall that limited Altuve to a single in the first inning that normally would’ve been a double. The Astros second baseman has 60 career at-bats against Berrios and is hitting .300 with a .821 OPS and three homers against the Blue Jays starter.
- Chas McCormick over 0.5 hits: -160 (FanDuel). McCormick is coming off a multi-hit performance Monday and he’s 5-for-8 in his career against Berrios with a 1.375 OPS.
- Astros moneyline: -150 (PointsBet). The Astros have clearly shifted momentum in their favour after last night’s thumping of the Jays in every aspect of the game. Toronto’s offensive woes should continue against a premium starting pitcher like Valdez, especially if Bichette is held out again.
