The Toronto Blue Jays will be trying to win three games in a row on the road for the first time this season when they open a three-game weekend series with the Houston Astros on Friday as +120 road underdogs on the MLB odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
Toronto turned in a character performance on Thursday afternoon, twice overcoming deficits on the way to a 10-4 victory in Oakland to earn a split in its four-game series with the A's. That improved the club's away record to 9-10 going into Friday's matchup at Minute Maid Park.
The Blue Jays have overcome a shaky start on the road by posting wins in five of their past eight away contests. However, the club has struggled in recent trips to Houston, posting wins in just three of their past nine road dates with the Astros, and going 8-19 in their past 27 overall according to the OddsShark MLB Database.
The Toronto offence has also sputtered with regularity when they battle the Astros on the road, scoring two or fewer runs in three of their past five such matchups.
However, the Blue Jays' bats have been connecting during their current two-game win streak, with the team outgunning Oakland by a 19-8 overall margin. That marks a dramatic turnaround for the team after averaging just 2.67 runs per game in their previous nine road contests.
The Blue Jays' recent outburst also put the brakes on a steady run for the UNDER in totals betting, which had gone 8-2 in their previous 10 road contests.
While the Blue Jays aim to solidify their newfound grasp on second place in the AL East standings, the Astros kick off a 10-game homestand on Friday as -140 favourites at sports betting sites.
The Astros produced mixed results during their recent eastern road swing, dropping two of three to the New York Yankees this week after eking out a narrow series win in Tampa Bay last weekend.
Houston capped things off on a positive note, knocking off the Yankees by a 7-4 margin in Thursday afternoon's series finale. The Astros have enjoyed consistent success when playing host to opponents from the AL East, going 11-4 in 15 total regular-season matchups since the start of the 2019 MLB campaign.
However, the Astros have produced streaky results on home turf so far this season. The club went 1-5 in their first homestand of the season, but outscored opponents by a wide 45-20 margin while winning six of eight at home in late April.
