Wednesday’s MLB slate kicks off with an afternoon matchup in Houston as the Astros (59-56) host the Toronto Blue Jays (53-61) in the series finale, which also serves as the rubber match to decide the series winner. The Blue Jays won the opener 3-1 on Monday, but the Astros responded with a 7-2 victory Tuesday night.
An interesting storyline in this series is that the Blue Jays and Astros completed a trade ahead of Monday’s series opener, with Toronto sending outfielder Daulton Varsho to Houston for 26-year-old right-hander Spencer Arrighetti. While Arrighetti didn’t face his former team because he’s currently on the 15-day injured list after leaving his July 24 start against the Chicago White Sox with a foot injury, Varsho was in the Astros’ lineup batting cleanup and playing center field after switching dugouts following the trade. He went 1-for-4 with a walk against his former club in Monday’s opener and 0-for-2 with two walks Tuesday night.
The Blue Jays struck first in Monday’s opener with a solo home run by Alejandro Kirk in the first inning before adding two more runs in the fourth, which proved to be enough in the low-scoring affair thanks to a strong outing from Shane Bieber and Toronto’s bullpen. Blue Jays rookie right-hander Trey Yesavage left Tuesday’s game after experiencing knee discomfort while warming up before the third inning, and the Astros’ offense made his replacement, Chad Dallas, pay by scoring two runs in the fourth and adding four more in the fifth, capped by Taylor Trammell’s three-run home run, en route to a 7-2 victory that set up Wednesday’s rubber match.
The 2026 American League All-Star Game starter and recently named AL Pitcher of the Month for July, Dylan Cease, was originally scheduled to start for the Blue Jays on Wednesday afternoon, but Toronto shuffled its rotation and will instead send recently acquired right-hander Jameson Taillon to the mound for his team debut. Taillon was designated for assignment by the Chicago Cubs on July 27 after going 2-6 with a 5.92 ERA this season, and just a few days later he was traded to Toronto. Houston will counter with 2025 All-Star and AL Cy Young finalist Hunter Brown, who owns a 3.42 ERA across 10 starts this season.
Blue Jays vs. Astros Current Odds
Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook lists the Astros as home favorites following their 7-2 win Tuesday night with Hunter Brown on the mound for Wednesday’s series finale:
- Moneyline: Astros -210, Blue Jays +200
- Run Line: Astros -1.5 (-105), Blue Jays +1.5 (-105)
- Total (Runs): Over 8.5 (+105), Under 8.5 (-115)
August is the perfect time to take advantage of Hard Rock Bet’s 10¢ Summer Sale, with reduced-vig dime lines available on qualifying pregame MLB Moneyline, Run Line, and Total markets throughout the month.
Blue Jays vs. Astros Predictions
Get in on the day baseball action at Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook and check out the Stats Hub for baseball betting insights, trends, and picks like the one below:
Astros vs. Blue Jays Best Bet: Yordan Álvarez Over 0.5 Home Runs (+275)
Yordan Álvarez leads MLB with 35 home runs this season, but the left-handed slugger hasn’t gone deep in six consecutive games. It’s safe to say the Astros’ designated hitter is due for another long ball, and he draws a favorable matchup against Jameson Taillon on Wednesday afternoon.
Taillon has allowed 25 home runs this season, tied for the third-most in the majors, but that total is even more concerning considering he’s thrown only 76 innings – far fewer than the other pitchers who have surrendered a similar number of home runs. More recently, he allowed three home runs in his last outing with the Cubs and two more in the start before that.
Looking specifically at this matchup, Álvarez owns a career .357 batting average with one home run, three RBIs, and a .971 OPS in 15 regular-season plate appearances against Taillon, including a 1-for-3 performance against him earlier this season on May 22. Taillon did allow a home run in that game, although it came off the bat of Christian Vázquez. Left-handed hitters are batting .258 with 14 home runs against Taillon this season.
Álvarez has recorded a hit in each of the first two games of this series against Toronto to extend his hitting streak to five games and is batting .467 through his first four games of August.
- Astros vs. Blue Jays Player Prop Pick for Aug. 5: Yordan Álvarez Over 0.5 Home Runs (+275)
Top 5 Most-Bet Player Props for TOR-HOU
We just talked about how favorable the matchup is for Álvarez to leave the yard Wednesday afternoon, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that his home run prop is the most-bet player prop heading into first pitch:
- Yordan Álvarez – Over 0.5 Home Runs
- Yordan Álvarez – Over 0.5 Hits
- Jose Altuve – Over 0.5 Hits
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. – Over 0.5 Hits
- George Springer – Over 0.5 Hits
Blue Jays vs. Astros Game Info
- 📍 Where: Daikin Park, Houston, TX
- 📅 Date: Wednesday, Aug. 5
- ⏰ First Pitch: 2:10 PM ET
- 📺💻 TV/Streaming: MLB.TV
- ⚾ Probable Pitchers:
- Blue Jays: Jameson Taillon
- Astros: Hunter Brown
More Ways to Bet
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Referenced odds are subject to change.
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