Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago Cubs Betting Pick & Prediction 8/17/24
At 2:20 PM ET, the Cubs and Blue Jays square off in an interleague matchup. This one is being played at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Cubs are favored on the money line, with their odds sitting at -168 compared to the Blue Jays at +143. The over/under line is currently 8.5 runs.
Toronto will be starting Chris Bassitt, while the Cubs are giving the ball to Justin Steele. In the AL East, the Blue Jays are 5th with a record of 57-65, while the Cubs are 4th in the NL Central at 60-63. MLBN will be televising Saturday’s matchup.
CHICAGO CUBS VS TORONTO BLUE JAYS BETTING PICK
The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline -168
This game will be played at Wrigley Field at 2:20 ET on Saturday, August 17th.
HOW TO BET THE BLUE JAYS VS CUBS:
- We have the Cubs winning by a score of 5 to 4
- However, if you’re looking for a run line pick, we like the Blue Jays to cover
- As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 9 runs and like the over
Chicago picked up a 6-5 win over the Blue Jays in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a two-run lead going into the 9th inning, and the Blue Jays scored three runs but fell short. Heading into the game, the Cubs were favored at -129 on the money line.
Kyle Hendricks got the start for the Cubs, going five innings and giving up just one run. He finished with only two strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. Tyson Miller came out of the bullpen for the win. Yariel Rodriguez got the start for the Blue Jays, giving up four runs in five innings of work.
At the plate, the Cubs were led by Ian Happ and Cody Bellinger, who each homered. Happ, Miguel Amaya, and Pete Crow-Armstrong each had two RBIs. For the Blue Jays, Leo Jimenez hit the game’s only other home run and drove in three runs.
Blue Jays Records & Stats
Toronto is 5th in the AL East, trailing the Yankees by 15.5 games. Overall, the Blue Jays are 57-65 as they play on the road today vs. the Cubs. Toronto is 29-31 at home but has been just below .500 at 28-34 on the road.
So far, the Blue Jays have gone 17-24 against other AL East teams. As the favorite, the Blue Jays are 36-26 this year and 21-39 as the underdog. Toronto’s overall series record is 14-19-6, and they are currently down 0-1 in this series vs. the Cubs.
Despite a negative run differential on the season, the Blue Jays have been a profitable team to back on the run line, going 60-62 overall. They have been especially good on the run line on the road, going 39-23. They have covered the run line in five straight road games and have been a good bet as the underdog, going 33-27 on the run line in those games.
The Toronto Blue Jays are on the road today against the Chicago Cubs. The over/under line for the game is set at 8.5 runs. The Blue Jays have an over/under record of 66-53 this season, and their games have averaged a combined 9.0 runs per game. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 19-19. The over has hit in two straight games for Toronto.
Right-hander Chris Bassitt is starting for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 24 starts this year and has a record of 9-11 with a 4.30 ERA. Bassitt’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.44. In his last outing, he gave up seven earned runs in four innings of work, taking the loss. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Bassitt has allowed at least one home run in each of his last four outings. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.66 strikeouts and 3.49 walks.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of the best hitters in the league this season, as he is batting .319 with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs. He has been even better of late, going 13/38 in his last nine games with three homers and eight RBIs. Daulton Varsho is 2nd on the Blue Jays in homers but is batting just .208 for the season.
As a team, the Blue Jays are 21st in scoring at 4.2 runs per game. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.4 runs per contest. As a team, they are batting just .239, but they do have the league’s 12th ranked on-base percentage. Currently, Toronto is 17th in slugging and 18th in OPS.
Cubs Records & Stats
With a record of 60-63, the Cubs are 4th in the NL Central, trailing the Brewers by 10.5 games. Currently, they trail the Reds by a half-game for 3rd place in the division. Chicago won the first game of their series vs. the Blue Jays and have an overall series record of 15-21-3 this year.
Chicago has won three straight games at home, and they are 33-27 at home this year. On the road, the Cubs are 27-36 this season. So far, they have been an even 20-20 when favored at home, and they are 28-29 as the favorite overall. As for their record as the underdog, the Cubs are 32-34 this year.
Chicago is 59-64 against the run line this season, including a 23-37 mark at home. The Cubs have a run differential of 0.0 runs per game this season, and they are 36-27 against the run line on the road. Chicago is 15-42 against the run line as the favorite and 44-22 as the underdog.
The Chicago Cubs are playing at home against the Toronto Blue Jays with an over/under line of 8.5 runs. The Cubs have an average combined run average of 8.4 runs per game this season, and their over/under record is 54-65. When the over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 15-13. Overall, 29.3% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Left-hander Justin Steele gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Blue Jays at home. Steele has made 19 starts this season and has a record of 3-5 with an ERA of 3.16. In his last outing, he finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on six hits. Before that, he had won two straight starts. Steele’s WHIP for the season is currently 1.10, and he has one complete game and 10 quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 8.84 strikeouts and 2.45 walks.
For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league and are also near the bottom of the league in terms of their batting average and slugging percentage. However, they do come into the game with a good team on-base percentage and have the 7th most walks in the league. Chicago’s offense is led by Ian Happ, who is batting just .233 this season but does have a team-high 21 homers and 68 RBIs. Happ has also been swinging the bat well of late, hitting .286 over his last nine games with four homers.
Isaac Paredes is 2nd on the team with 18 homers but is batting just .234 for the season, while Nico Hoerner has a batting average of .256 and is 7th on the team with five homers. Paredes comes into the game with a five-game hitting streak, while Miguel Amaya has a five-game streak of his own.