TORONTO (Interstat) — The Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays, both hovering near the .500 mark, open a three-game series Monday at Rogers Centre. Houston (37-42) sends right-hander Hunter Brown (1-0) to the mound against the Blue Jays. Toronto (38-39) has not announced its probable starter. The Astros enter the series finale after a 2-1 win Sunday over the Cleveland Guardians. Right-hander Kai-Wei Teng earned the win, allowing one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts over six innings. Teng has been a key arm for Houston; over his past six appearances, he has a 3.77 ERA with 30 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings. He is a player to watch in a bullpen role Monday. Third baseman Kazuma Okamoto is a player to watch for Toronto. He went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs in the Blue Jays’ 8-6 win Saturday at Chicago. Over his past 10 games, Okamoto is batting .240 with three homers and eight RBIs, providing a power threat from the right side. The Blue Jays took two of three from the Cubs over the weekend, while the Astros split their two-game series with Cleveland. Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Toronto victory. The Blue Jays are a -1.5 favorite on the run line, and the over/under is 7 runs. Following Monday’s opener, the teams play Tuesday and Wednesday before Houston travels to Detroit for four games. Toronto hosts the Texas Rangers for four games beginning Thursday. --