Toronto’s Chris Bassitt has pitched very well at home this season. He owns a 2.16 home ERA and already faced the Astros in mid-April, going 6.1 innings without allowing a run. Houston’s Ronel Blanco has one start this season, allowing two earned runs in 5.1 innings to the Angels. Bassitt could be due for some regression as he faces a Astros lineup hitting .291 with a .838 OPS over their last seven days. Houston is also 16-8 following a loss this season.

Jose Altuve is in the HOU lineup after missing the first two games but interestingly is not leading off -- Mauricio Dubon is. The Stros are down two top hitters in Jeremy Pena and Alex Bregman, though, so we will back the Jays behind Chris Bassitt. Toronto has won eight of 11 and is 28-13 vs. teams not in the AL East. Bassitt's four starts of 7+ shutout innings this season are tied for the most in the Majors. His .198 OBA is 3rd best among AL pitchers (6th in MLB). It's Ronel Blanco (1-0, 4.15) for Houston amid reports he's likely sent back down Thursday. Matt Chapman is in the TOR lineup after missing Tuesday.

The Astros’ lineup isn’t as good as it has been in recent seasons. They have just a .719 OPS, which ranks 20th in baseball. Scoring could continue to be a problem against Chris Bassitt, who has just a 1.07 WHIP this season and a 1.18 WHIP for his career. When he faced the Astros in Houston in April, he logged 6 1/3 shutout innings. Starting for the Astros will be Ronel Blanco, who has a 1.90 WHIP over 17 1/3 innings. With a significant starting pitching advantage, look for the Blue Jays to emerge victorious.