MLB · Wed, Jun 24 · 7:07 PM

Astros at Blue Jays

O/U 8.5 · RL Blue Jays -1.5 · Rogers Centre

Gary's pick

Blue Jays ML-144

CONF 72%

Result

LLostFinal 3-1

The read

The roof is closed at the Rogers Centre as the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros face off in a high-stakes series rubber match. This game presents a clear opportunity to capitalize on how the market has priced these starting pitchers. The Blue Jays start rookie Trey Yesavage, whose solid 3.76 ERA is backed by an elite 2.94 xERA, indicating that his underlying stuff is far more dominant than his surface numbers suggest. At a -144 moneyline, we are getting excellent value on an ace-level arm. Conversely, the market is overpaying for Houston's Mike Burrows, who has surrendered four or more earned runs in four of his last five starts, resulting in a 5.79 ERA. Yesavage is fresh off a brilliant start where he threw 7.1 innings with zero walks, proving he has resolved his command issues and can suppress the Astros' lineup.

Tactically, Burrows' extreme platoon split is a disaster waiting to happen. He allows a massive .977 OPS and 12 home runs to left-handed hitters in 181 at-bats. The Blue Jays' lineup can leverage this with lefties like Nathan Lukes and Daulton Varsho, the latter of whom hits sinkers at a .351 clip. Furthermore, the bullpen rest situation heavily tilts to the home team. Following yesterday’s 11-inning marathon, Toronto has their elite, fully rested closer Louis Varland (0.84 ERA, 16 SV) ready to lock down the ninth. Meanwhile, Houston’s top-tier arms are depleted; Josh Hader has thrown on back-to-back days, leaving the Astros without a reliable late-inning safety net if Burrows exits early.

The primary threat to this pick is Houston's top-heavy lineup, spearheaded by Yordan Alvarez and his devastating .325 average, 25 home runs, and 1.076 OPS. However, Yesavage’s split-neutral profile (.649 OPS vs LHB, .659 vs RHB) is built to limit this damage. Yesavage relies on an elite 82.9 mph splitter with a 41.7% whiff rate and 52.1% chase rate to neutralize even the most dangerous power threats. Backed by a strong 22-19 home record, the Blue Jays hold the mound advantage and the bullpen freshness to secure a vital home win.

Injuries noted

Blue Jays: [NEW] Addison Barger (RF) — Elbow (Right): Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Wednesday that Barger (elbow) will fly back to Toronto soon to be examined by the medical staff before he begins a rehab assignment, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. (Jun 24 — 0d ago) [NEW] Ernie Clement (2B) — Hip (Left): Clement (hip) is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Astros. (Jun 24 — 0d ago) [NEW] Max Scherzer (SP) — Back (Not Specified): Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Scherzer (back) checked out well after throwing a bullpen session Monday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. (Jun 22 — 2d ago) [NEW] Lenyn Sosa (2B) — Wrist (Right): Sosa (wrist) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with the Blue Jays' Arizona Complex League affiliate, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports. (Jun 22 — 2d ago) [KNOWN] Joe Mantiply (RP) — Knee (Left): Mantiply will undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair some damage in his left knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. (Jun 3 — 20d ago) [KNOWN] Jose Berrios (Starting Pitcher) — Elbow (Right): Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Berrios underwent full Tommy John surgery Wednesday in addition to having a stress fracture repaired, Hazel Mae of Sportsnet reports. (May 27 — 28d ago) [KNOWN] Cody Ponce (Starting Pitcher) — Knee (Right): Ponce underwent surgery Friday to repair the ACL in his right knee, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. (May 8 — 47d ago) Astros: [NEW] Cristian Javier (Starting Pitcher) — Shoulder (Right): Javier (shoulder) struck out five and allowed three earned runs on five hits and three walks across 4.2 innings Sunday in his rehab start with Triple-A Sugar Land. (Jun 22 — 2d ago) [NEW] Nick Allen (SS) — Hamstring (Left): Allen (hamstring) resumed taking batting practice and shagging flyballs over the weekend, MLB.com reports. (Jun 22 — 2d ago) [NEW] LaMonte Wade Jr. (1B) — Hamstring (Right): Wade (hamstring) has resumed taking batting practice and shagging flyballs and is expected to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment soon, MLB.com reports. (Jun 22 — 2d ago) [NEW] Lance McCullers Jr. (SP) — Shoulder (Right): McCullers (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Sugar Land on Thursday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. (Jun 21 — 3d ago) [KNOWN] Braden Shewmake (SS) — Thigh (Right): The Astros announced Monday that Shewmake (adductor) has taken part in baseball activity and is working his way through a running progression at the team's facility in Florida, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports. (Jun 15 — 8d ago) [KNOWN] Bennett Sousa (RP) — Elbow (Left): The Astros announced Friday that Sousa (elbow) has begun a throwing progression, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports. (Jun 4 — 20d ago) [KNOWN] Carlos Correa (SS) — Ankle (Left): Correa is scheduled to undergo surgery Monday in Houston to repair the tendon in his left ankle, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports. (Jun 2 — 22d ago)

About this analysis

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Gary AI, an AI sports-analysis product operated by Gary A.I. LLC. No human reviewer is claimed unless one is explicitly named.
Published data
Board stored June 24, 2026 at 10:44 AM ET.
Odds record
The displayed line is the value retained with the call. Stored sportsbook sources: fanduel, fanatics, draftkings, caesars, betmgm, betrivers.
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