Monday, January 13, 2025
5-Hour Energy

MLB Preview: Houston Astros (36-26) at Toronto Blue Jays (35-28)

HOUSTON ASTROS NOTES:

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Astros wrap up the 4-game series here in Toronto tonight with LHP Framber Valdez (6-4) taking on Jays RHP Jose Berrios (5-4)…this will be Valdez’ 1st app. of the season vs. TOR and the 4th start/app. of his career vs. them…the Astros faced Berrios at Minute Maid Park on 4/19 of this season, winning that game, 8-1 (Berrios pitched well, however – 7 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER).

UP NEXT: Following tonight’s game, the Astros will travel to Cleveland for a 3-game series vs. the Guardians at Progressive Field…this will be the 1st series of the season between the two clubs…the Astros were 4-3 vs. CLE last season, posting a 2.21 ERA (15ER/61IP) in those 7 games.

GRINDERS: Tonight is the 14th day in a streak of 17 consecutive days with a game for the Astros, with Houston going 8-5 thus far in that stretch…prior to this streak, the most days the Astros had played in a row was seven, a streak that opened the season from March 30-April 5.

FRAMTASTIC: LHP Framber Valdez once again has been one of the top hurlers in all of baseball in 2023…he enters tonight at 6-4 with a 2.16 ERA…among AL starters, he ranks T-1st in quality starts (10), 4th in ERA (2.16), 6th in innings (79) and T-5th in strikeouts (84)…with 4.0 IP tonight, he would take over the AL lead in innings…over his last 3 starts, he is 3-0 with an 0.41 ERA (1ER/22IP), which is the lowest ERA
over a 3-start stretch in his career…Postseason Hero: In 3 combined starts in the 2022 LCS and WS, he was 3-0 with an 0.93 ERA (2ER/19.1IP) with 27 K’s.

LAST NIGHT’S RECAP: The Astros were edged by the Blue Jays last night, 3-2…RHP Ronel Blanco started the game for HOU, but had ND (6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO)…RHP Hector Neris (3-2) took the loss in relief…Yordan Alvarez provided the offense for the Astros with a 2-run HR in the 4th inning…rookie Grae Kessinger made his MLB debut, starting at third base.

VS. THE JAYS: The Astros are 3-3 vs. the Blue Jays thus far this season, taking 2 of 3 in Houston in April…Familiar Faces: Two members on the Jays roster have ties to the Astros…OF George Springer played his first seven years (2014-20) in an Astros uniform while IF Cavan Biggio is the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.

HOT CORNER HEATER: Since May 13, 3B Alex Bregman is batting .330 (29×88) with three doubles, four home runs, 20 RBI, 14 runs and an .894 OPS…has raised his season batting average from .201 to .254 in that span…also recorded a 12-game hitting streak from May 24-June 5, batting .400 (18×45) with 2 HR, 13 RBI and 6 BB, while posting a 1.048 OPS (.471 OBP/.578 SLG).

MR. CLUTCH: LF Yordan Alvarez leads the Majors in RBI with 55 in just 56 games played…he has been at his best in the big moments in his career, especially this season…he’s hitting .413 (19×46) with RISP, .500 (10×20) with RISP and two outs, .600 (6×10) with the bases loaded, and .345 (10×29) in close and late situations.

MLB RBI Leaders

  1. Y. Alvarez – 55
  2. A. Garcia – 52
    T3. M. Semien – 50
    T3. R. Devers – 50
    TEXAS STRONG: Over the past month or so, the Astros and
    Rangers have been the two best teams in baseball…since May
    9, the two clubs are both an MLB-best 19-8 in that span.

Best Win Pct. Since May 9 – MLB
T1. Houston: 19-8 (.704) 3. Miami: 18-9 (.667)
T1. Texas: 19-8 (.704)

VS. THE BEST: The Astros are 19-16 (.543) vs. teams that are currently at .500 or above…the Astros have played 5 of the 6 clubs currently in first place in their respective divisions, going a combined 10-8 vs. those teams.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Astros are 18-12 (.600) on the road this season, which ranks 3rd in the AL behind BAL (20-12, .625) and TEX (19-12, .613)…since 2021, the Astros are a combined 113-79 (.589) on the road, which is tops in the AL.

PITCHING IN: The Astros have the lowest team ERA (3.25) and have allowed the fewest runs (221) in the Majors…the Astros starters rank third in Majors in ERA (3.23) and have allowed one-or-fewer earned runs in 11 of their last 19 games…also, the Astros bullpen ranks fourth in the AL in ERA (3.29).

Lowest Team ERA – MLB Runs Allowed – MLB

  1. Houston: 3.25 1. Houston: 218
  2. Minnesota: 3.48 2. Minnesota: 229
  3. Tampa Bay: 3.60 3. Texas: 231

ON THE LEADERBOARD: In addition to leading the Majors in RBI with 55, Yordan Alvarez also ranks second in the AL in HR (17) and SLG (.582), third in OPS (.968) and fifth in walks (32)…Alex Bregman ranks third in the AL in walk/strikeout ratio (1.10), fourth in PA/SO (8.68) and 4th in walks (34).

HOME-GROWN: The Astros currently have a six-man rotation, with all six pitchers coming from the Astros farm system (Valdez, Javier, Brown, France, Bielak, Blanco)…additionally, the Astros have three ML starters currently on the IL, with all three of them also coming from the farm system (Garcia, McCullers Jr., Urquidy).

TONIGHT’S ASTROS STARTER: LHP FRAMBER VALDEZ
W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO
2023 6-4 2.16 12 12 79.0 65 24 19 16 84
CAREER: 47-27 3.22 110 88 593.1 500 240 212 225 581
vs. TOR W-L ERA G GS IP H R ER BB SO

LAST START – 6/2 VS LAA: pitched 7 scoreless innings, striking out 7 batters while allowing 5 hits and 1 walk…logged his 3rd straight quality start…over his last 3 starts has gone 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA (1ER/22IP)…is the lowest ERA over a 3-start stretch in his career, with the next closest being a 1.06 ERA from 10/5/22-4/4/23…has completed 7+ innings in 3 of his last 5 starts…is the lowest ERA from an Astros pitcher over a 3-start stretch (min. 20 IP) since RHP Justin Verlander posted a 0.41 ERA in from Sept. 12-22 in 2017.

COMPLETE GAME: on May 21 vs. OAK, Valdez delivered the 2nd complete-game shutout of his career, striking out 7 batters while allowing 4 hits and no walks through 9 scoreless innings…was the 1st complete-game shutout from an Astros pitcher since Valdez’s 1st career complete-game shutout on Sept. 12, 2022 at DET…was the 5th complete-game shutout from an Astros pitcher since 2017 with Valdez and Justin Verlander tossing 2 of them (May 16, 2018 at LAA, Sept. 1, 2019 at TOR), and Gerritt Cole contributing the other on May 4, 2018…were the fewest hits allowed in Astros complete-game shutout since Verlander’s no-hitter on Sept 1, 2019 at TOR…the last Astros pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout without issuing a walk was Dallas Keuchel on May 30, 2015 vs. CWS…is 1 of 4 AL pitchers to throw a complete-game shutout this season.

LEAGUE LEADERBOARD: in AL, he ranks 6th in innings (79.0), 4th in ERA (2.16), T-5th in strikeouts (84) and 3rd in pitching WAR (2.5)…is T-1st in AL with 10 quality starts.

REVERSE, REVERSE: has posted reverse splits to open his ‘23 campaign, holding right-handed hitters to a .215 batting average (54×251) while lefties are batting .297 (11×37)…traditionally, has been extremely tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .212 average (89×420) and a .617 OPS throughout his career, allowing just seven homers.

VS. TOR: will be making his 4th career appearance and starts vs. the Blue Jays, including his 3rd at Rogers Centre…will be his 3rd straight appearance vs. the Blue Jays at Rogers Centre…last faced them on 5/1/22, taking a losing decision in a 3-2 loss despite delivering a quality start (6.1 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SO).

STAYING GROUNDED: among AL starters this year, ranks 1st in groundball percentage (60.5)

  • owns a career 65.8% groundball percentage, which ranks as the lowest percentage in the Majors since 2018 (min. 300 IP)…SF RHP Logan Webb is the next-closest over that span at 57.1 %…since ground ball percentage started being tracked in 1987, Valdez career ground ball percentage is the highest ever posted by a starting pitcher (min. 300 IP).

TORONTO BLUE JAYS NOTES:

THE LATEST: The Blue Jays won for the 2nd straight night vs. Houston, coming from two runs down to edge the Astros, 3-2, Wednesday night…Marked their 14th comeback win of the season. Toronto has now won six of its last seven games, eight of its last 10, and nine of its last 12 contests…Is now 29-13 vs. non-division rivals.

BO BOMBS AWAY: Bo Bichette got Toronto on the board last night as he led off the 4th inning with a 426-foot shot to center field…Has homered in consecutive contests for the 4th time this year and the 10th time in his career…His 14 homers lead all shortstops while his 42 RBI are now tied with Francisco Lindor (42) for the most. The 25-year-old leads all MLB hitters with 89 hits (2nd: Luis Arraez – 87)…Also leads the Majors with 144 total bases (2nd: Freddie Freeman – 140)…His .331 batting average ranks 1st in the AL (trailing only Arraez’s .403 for the best in MLB) while he is currently 5th in SLG (.535), 5th in OPS (.899), T-5th in home runs, T-8th in RBI, and 11th in OBP (.364)…His 105 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) trail only Vladimir Guerrero Jr.’s 110 for the most in the AL.

M-V-PEACE OUT: Brandon Belt tied last night’s game, 2-2, in the 6th inning with a solo home run…Was his 4th longball of the season and his 1st at home…Has homered in two of his last three games. The first baseman also singled to finish with a 2-for-4 evening…Had a .235 OBP on day 1 but has since boosted that to .385 for the season, 8th best in the AL (min. 150 PA)…His 4.48 pitches per plate appearance are the most among AL hitters while his 6.50 PA/BB is 5th best…Over his last 27 contests, has batted .350 (28-for-80) with nine doubles, three homers, 10 RBI, and 20 walks (.485 OBP, 1.060 OPS).

CAPTAIN CLUTCH: Alejandro Kirk drove in the game-winning run with a pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the 7th inning…Has four RBI as a pinch-hitter this season, the most by a Blue Jay in a single season since Rowdy Tellez recorded four in 2019…Over his last 18 games, has batted .328 (19-for-55) with two doubles, a homer, and six RBI (.764 OPS).

HOUNDING INNINGS: Chris Bassitt threw 8.0 frames of two-run ball last night, scattering four hits with no walks and five strikeouts on just 81 pitches (57 strikes)…Marked his 10th quality start of the year, matching Kevin Gausman and Framber Valdez for the most in the AL…His 82.0 innings pitched are tied with Gausman for the most in the Majors…His .193 opponents’ batting average for the year is 3rd best among AL pitchers.

HOME WORK: The Blue Jays are on a seven-day, seven-game homestand (2-1 so far)…Have gone 17-11 this season at Rogers Centre…The .607 win% at home is 3rd best in the AL…After these four games with the Astros, will welcome in the Twins (31-31) for three contests over the weekend.
Toronto batters rank 3rd in the AL in home AVG (.263), while also 4th in home OBP (.336), 6th in home OPS (.747), and 8th in home SLG (.411)…The pitching staff ranks 1st among MLB teams with a .209 home opponents’ average (2nd: PHI – .212)…Are sitting 2nd among AL clubs with a 3.27 home ERA and 3rd with a 1.14 home WHIP.

VLAD HABITS: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. singled as part of a 1-for-4 night… Has hits in six of his last seven games while going 7-for-26 (.269) with two doubles, a homer, three RBI, and a 4BB/2K ratio (.828 OPS)…His 67 hits are tied for 5th most in the AL…Has recorded an AL-leading 110 hard-hit balls (95+ MPH) this season, trailing only Ronald Acuña Jr.’s 112 for the most in MLB.

BERRÍ CONSISTENT: José Berríos gets the ball tonight for his 13th start, coming off 6.0 innings of one-run ball last Saturday at Citi Field…Has allowed one or no runs in each of his last three outings…Over his last 10 starts, has gone 5-2 with a 2.48 ERA (17 ER/61.2 IP) and a 1.15 WHIP…His ERA over that span (since April 14) ranks 8th among AL pitchers…Holds a 2.22 ERA (6 ER/24.1 IP) across his four home starts this season.

LAYING OFF THE DONUTS: The Blue Jays have notched 577 hits this season, behind only Texas (590) for the most in the Majors… Are currently 3rd in the AL in team AVG (.264), 3rd inOBP (.333), 4th in SLG (.426), 4th in OPS (.759), and 4th in extra-base hits (195). The Blue Jays are one of two MLB teams to have scored in every game this season (also: ARI)…Have gone 81 straight games without being shut out, the longest active streak in the Majors (2nd: ARI – 63G)…Is their longest such streak since scoring in 85 consecutive games from May 19-Aug. 23, 2000.

TOUGH SCHEDDING: The Blue Jays are in the midst of playing 30 games over the course of 31 days…All opponents during this stretch have been over .500 at game time…Are 14-12 through 26 contests.

VS. THE ASTROS: All-Time: 32-39
2023: 3-3 Home: 20-15
Home: 2-1 Rogers Centre: 19-13
The Blue Jays lost two of three to the Astros when the teams met in Houston in April…Went 4-2 in their six meetings with the Astros last season, taking two of three games at each ballpark.

Matt Chapman went 3-for-11 (.273) with a double and two homers in Houston in April…In 77 career meetings, has gone 65-for-279 (.233) with 19 doubles, one triple, 16 homers, and 35 RBI (.781 OPS).

Whit Merrifield had a pair of hits in each of his two games in Houston earlier this year…Is now batting .303 (46-for-152) with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 22 RBI for an .815 OPS across 37 career matchups.

George Springer played seven seasons for Houston and hit .270 with 137 doubles, 13 triples, 174 home runs and 458 RBI (.852 OPS)…In his 11 games against them, has gone 6-for-40 (.150) with a double, four homers, five RBI, and four walks (.736 OPS).

STARTING PITCHER – José Berríos, RHP #17
TODAY’S GAME:
Making his 13th start of the season and his 5th at Rogers Centre…Took a no-decision his last time out, on 6/3 at NYM, throwing 6.0 innings of one-run ball with 4 hits, 3 walks, and 6 strikeouts…Has allowed one run or fewer in each of his last 3 outings. Over his last 10 starts, has gone 5-2 with a 2.48 ERA (17 ER/61.2 IP), 56 strikeouts, and a 1.15 WHIP…Marks the 2nd-best 10G stretch of his career (2.23 ERA from 6/6-7/31/19). The Blue Jays own a 19-3 record in Berríos’ last 22 starts at Rogers Centre, dating back to 2021. Has made 152 starts since the beginning of 2018, tied for the 3rd most among MLB hurlers (Aaron Nola – 156, Gerrit Cole – 153).

2023 HIGHLIGHTS:
Pitched 5.2 frames of shutout ball on 5/28 at MIN (4H, 5BB, 5K)…Became the winningest pitcher in Target Field history, earning his 33rd career victory to break a tie with Kyle Gibson (32). Tossed 7.0 frames of one-run ball on 5/23 at TB, scattering 5 hits and 2 walks with 5 strikeouts…Was his 5th quality start of the year and his 3rd in the last 4 games. Took the loss on 5/18 vs. NYY, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits and a walk over 6.2 frames with 8 strikeouts. Took a no-decision on 5/13 vs. ATL, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks over 5.2 innings with 3 strikeouts. Improved to 3-3 on the year on 5/6 at PIT, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and a walk over 6.1 frames with 7 strikeouts. Worked 7.0 shutout frames on 4/25 vs. CWS, scattering 4 singles and a walk with a season-high 9 strikeouts…Completed 7.0 innings in consecutive starts for the 13th time in his career (last: 3G from 6/4-15/22)…Has allowed 3 runs over his last 3 starts, posting a 1.42 ERA (3 ER/19.0 IP) with a pair of walks and 18 punchouts. Took the loss on 4/19 at HOU, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk over 7.0 frames with 3 strikeouts…Was his 1st quality start of the year. Picked up his 1st win of the year on 4/14 vs. TB, tossing 5.0 innings of one-run ball with 4 hits, no walks, and 6 strikeouts…Was removed from the game with a left knee contusion after being hit by a comebacker from Yandy Díaz.

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