Francisco Liriano (6-11, 5.34 ERA) and Joe Musgrove (0-0, 0.79 ERA) start in the first of a three-game series between the Toronto Blue Jays (65-50) and the Houston Astros (60-55) at the Rogers Centre. Action begins at 7:07 p.m. ET on Friday, Aug. 12 and can be seen on RTSW and RSN1.
Liriano pitched 6.0 innings in his most recent start, surrendering three runs (one unearned), striking out five and walking two in a 4-3 win over the Royals. Josh Donaldson (.294, 92 Rs, 27 HRs, 77 RBIs, 6 SBs) went 1 for 5 Wednesday with two runs. Musgrove went 7.0 innings, surrendering one run and striking out six in a 5-3 defeat to the Rangers in his last outing. Carlos Correa (.273, 58 Rs, 18 HRs, 78 RBIs, 10 SBs) has been successful at the plate, going 2 for 4 yesterday with three runs, one home run, and one RBI.
Toronto is a -133 favorite against Houston and the Over/Under (O/U) for this game is sitting at nine runs. The Blue Jays have recorded an overall money line of +six and have shown high-level performance as a favorite this season with a record of 53-34. The Blue Jays have seen a decline in scoring as of late, averaging 3.3 runs during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 4.8 runs per game. The Blue Jays are one of the best in the MLB in terms of home runs with 162. Toronto leads the whole AL in walks at home, earning an average of 4.0 per game. Crossing over to the pitching staff, the Blue Jays are the fifth-best team in the league at limiting hits and walks to their opponents, recording a WHIP of 1.214 so far this season.
In games where it is the underdog, Houston has a 17-14 record and an overall money line of -874. The Astros have established a reputation of overwhelming hitters with an AL-best 8.7 strikeouts per game.
The Blue Jays lead the season series, 3-1. The Blue Jays have a 49-32 record against right-handed starting pitchers on the year, which is what they’ll be facing when Musgrove takes the mound. Liriano (LHP) will be on the hill against the Astros, who have a 17-20 record against left-handed starting pitchers.
Predictions: SU Winner – TOR, O/U – Over
Notes
When leading after seven innings, Houston is 30-23, while Toronto is 26-24.
The Astros are coming into this meeting after a high-scoring game where they scored an impressive 10 runs. The Blue Jays have a 0-6 record when opponents score that many runs or more.
When they outhit their opponents, the Blue Jays are 52-9. The Astros have a 46-5 record when outhitting opponents.
Ranking 14th, Houston sits in the top half of the league in runs, scoring 516 this season. Toronto ranks in the top 10 at sixth with 551.
Toronto and Houston both rank in the top five of the league in walks. Toronto sits at second with 438 this season and Houston ranks fifth with 411.
When the Blue Jays hit at least one home run, they are 57-29, well-matched with the Astros who are 51-32 when hitting one or more homers.
