It’s been an underwhelming season for both the Astros and the Blue Jays, but things are starting to trend in the right direction for both franchises.

Each club comes in having won four of their past five games. Heck, Toronto is just one win away from getting back to the .500 mark. As for Houston, the team’s biggest recent news is the return of ace Hunter Brown, who will toe the rubber this evening in Canada’s largest city.

Who will keep the good times going on Monday? Let’s preview this American League clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

Astros vs. Blue Jays prediction, preview

Aside from amplifying the Astros’ lack of pitching depth, Hunter Brown’s injury absence (along with Tarik Skubal’s) really opened up the American League Cy Young race in 2026 — a race that Dylan Cease could win. Cease is on the other side of this evening’s star-studded pitching matchup, making his 14th start of the season. The prior 13 have gone swimmingly for the veteran RHP, who could not be making a better impression in the first year of a $210 million contract in Toronto. Over 73.0 innings, Cease is maintaining a 2.71 ERA and a 2.38 FIP. While walks remain an issue for the 30-year-old, Cease has added a devastating change-up to his arsenal, and its made the once very predictable pitcher exceedingly hard to hit. I mean, the offering has a 65.3% whiff rate. That doesn’t even seem possible. With the change now complimenting Cease’s fantastic fastball and slider combo, the right-hander boasts a 99th percentile strikeout rate (36.3%). Again, even the Jays could not have imagined this deal beginning this well.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned Brown is only a few years away from a massive payday of his own. In 2025, Brown set new career-highs in innings (185.1), ERA (2.43) and strikeout rate (28.3%). Without question, he’s one of the top arms in the American League, yet a shoulder strain has limited him to only three starts in 2026. Brown came off the IL last Tuesday and very much looked like himself, tossing 5.1 innings against the Tigers, giving up just three hits and a single earned run in the process. Brown made four rehab appearances before that 92-pitch outing, so there should be no hesitations about his workload. He’s fully built up and ready to dominate opposing hitters.

The Jays haven’t exactly looked amazing in the batter’s box this season, either. Brown should have little issue continuing this trend. Yes, Toronto is coming off a massive come-from-behind victory on Saturday at Wrigley Field, which was powered by two three-run home runs. That said, the Jays are still one of five teams in the month of June that own an expected wOBA below the .300 plateau (.295). For the season as a whole, Toronto ranks bottom-three in MLB in hard hit rate (36.2%) and expected wOBA on batted ball events (.341). This is a roster that desperately needs more from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and George Springer, though the latter is heating up at the moment, with a 136 wRC+ in the month.

Astros vs. Blue Jays pick, best bet

Best Bet: First 5 – Under 3.5 (+100)

Cease and Brown are two of the best power arms in the American League. Both have strikeout rates above 35%. It’s just difficult to string together hits off pitchers with elite contact avoidance skills, especially for two teams that rank middle-of-the-pack in runs scored in 2026.

Strong Lean: Astros ML (+108)

Brown as an underdog is tantalizing, even on the road. Houston’s been underwhelming all season long, but its undeniable that the team is starting to get healthier. Along with Brown, both Yainer Diaz and Josh Hader have recently returned to action.