Astros vs Blue Jays Picks and Prediction – 6/5/2023

American League powers will collide on Monday night, when the Houston Astros invade the Rogers Centre to take on the Toronto Blue Jays. The World Series Champion Astros (35-24) have won seven of their last ten games and trail AL West Division leading Texas by 3.5 games. On Sunday, Houston went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position during a 2-1 home loss versus Los Angeles.

Twenty-seven year old righty Brandon Bielak (2-2 3.19 ERA) will head to the hill for the Astros in this contest. In his last start, Bielak (5.2 IP) allowed one run and fanned six batters during a 5-1 home victory versus Minnesota. 

The Toronto Blue Jays have reeled off four straight victories and are 8.5 games back in the AL East Division race. On Sunday, All-Star 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr. homered and scored twice to lead Toronto to a 6-4 road victory against the New York Mets. Brandon Belt broke a 4-4 tie with a two-run shot for the Blue Jays, who improved to 33-27 overall.

Twenty-five year old righty Alek Manoah (1-6 5.46 ERA) has been unable to find last season’s All-Star form. The pitch clock and control are major issues for Manoah, who has walked an alarming 41 batters through 57 plus frames.