Astros-Blue Jays prediction: Picks, odds on Tuesday, June 6

The Houston Astros take on the Toronto Blue Jays in the second game of a four-game series on Tuesday, June 6. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET from Rogers Centre. Hunter Brown (5-2, 3.61 ERA) will take the mound for the Astros, and Kevin Gausman (4-3, 2.76 ERA) will pitch for the Blue Jays.

The Blue Jays are -135 moneyline favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook, with the Astros coming in at +115. The total is set at 8.

Astros

Day to day: 2B Jose Altuve (oblique)
Out: SP Jose Urquidy (shoulder), SP Luis Garcia (elbow), SP Lance McCullers Jr. (forearm), OF Michael Brantley (shoulder)

Blue Jays

Out: C Danny Jansen (groin), SS Santiago Espinal (hamstring), RP Zach Pop (hamstring), RP Mitch White (elbow), SP Hyun Jin Ryu (elbow), RP Chad Green (elbow)

Hunter Brown vs. Kevin Gausman

Brown struggled in his latest outing against the Twins, allowing five runs in 4.2 innings. He still struck out eight batters in that time frame. He had been doing well before that game but against weak offenses at the Athletics and the White Sox. He has not yet pitched against the Astros this season.

Gausman has been on a good run over his last three starts, two of which lasted seven innings or more. In his last 20.1 innings on the mound over those three starts, he has conceded just five earned runs while striking out 22 batters. Once in a while, he has a very bad day, but otherwise, Gausman has been a consistent option on the mound this season. However, he allowed seven earned runs in 4.2 frames the last time he pitched against Houston.

After last night's total of 15, I like the over here. Gausman let up a lot of runs last time he pitched against the Astros, and Brown has not been keeping opposing scores particularly low lately. Both teams rank in the top 12 in runs per game in MLB.

Pick: Over 8

The Astros won 11-4 in the first game of the series and have won five of their last seven games. The Blue Jays have won six of their last eight. Gausman may be cause for concern if we look only at his resume against the Astros, but he has been performing much better in recent games than Brown has. Both teams bring strong offenses to the field, but the Blue Jays should be able to tie this series up.

Pick: Blue Jays -135

  
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