Series Preview (8 of 52): Blue Jays Visit Houston

Josh Walker | Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

If Houston were above .500 right now, it’d be like the first time in about 12 seasons or so (don’t check me). And who should be migrating south but the Toronto Blue Jays for three games starting tonight? Who better than Toronto — a team that has a .443 winning percentage against the Astros — to keep Houston on the path to recovery?

note — if you think that’s not quite the worst performers against the Astros, you would be right. Toronto is fifth worst, trailing the Los Angeles Angels (.388), the Seattle Mariners (.416), the Baltimore Orioles (.420) and the Detroit Tigers (.432)

Gametimes and Starting Pitchers

Monday, 7:10 PM CT: Kevin Gausman (2-1, 2.49) vs. Hunter Brown (2-1, 1.50)Tuesday, 7:10 PM CT: Chris Bassitt (2-0, 0.77) vs. Ronel Blanco (1-2, 6.48)

Wednesday, 6:40 PM CT: Bowden Francis (2-2, 3.13) vs. Ryan Gusto (2-1, 3.18)

So Houston owns a 44-35 advantage over Toronto in head-to-head play all-time. That includes a 2024 campaign which saw the Astros take five-of-seven, including two-of-three in their last set, from July 2 through July 4. In the finale, Framber Valdez (7-5, 3.84) topped Kevin Bassitt (7-7, 3.43) with a 5-3 final. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Mauricio Dubón and Jeremy Peña finished with a pair of hits apiece, including Peña’s seventh jack of the season.

Double plays are one of my best friends in tough situations, like the ones I had in various innings. I just had to concentrate and keep throwing all my pitches low in the zone to have success with each pitch. — Valdez

Houston is LWLWLWLWWL over their past 10, versus a path of WLLWLWWWLL for the Jays. If your eyesight isn’t quite enough to pore over that too closely, that’s 5-5 for each team.

Last night, the Astros dropped the final game of a three-game set against the San Diego Padres. Jake Meyers was the only Astros hitter with multiple hits in the game, currently leading the team with a .305 average. Framber Valdez did enough to keep Houston close, holding the Jays to two early runs over six frames on seven hits and three walks. Tayler Scott (1-2, 5.63) was credited with the loss for his 2⁄3 innings of work. That included two respectable outs and the difference-making solo shot from Fernando Tatis Jr. (8).

There was an early injury scare when Luis Arraez collided with Dubón trying to leg out a single. Arraez was eventually taken to a local hospital, where he showed alertness and movement in his extremities.

In the meantime, the Jays lost two-of-three to the Seattle Mariners, including an 8-3 loss in the finale on Sunday. Tyler Heineman led Toronto’s offense with three hits, while Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette had two each.

So we were all in agreement over gloom and doom when San Diego rolled into town, with only a quarter of pollsters had Houston winning the series. Now, after winning two-of-three against the MLB-best Padres, maybe some have considered defecting from the panic battalion. What say you (in voting and comments)?

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Series Preview (8 of 52): Blue Jays Visit Houston

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