The Toronto Blue Jays (57-65) travel to face off against the Chicago Cubs (60-63) on Saturday, August 17th. This game will be played at Wrigley Field in Chicago and televised on MLBN. The Cubs are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Blue Jays are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Cubs. First pitch is set for 1:20 CT.

Blue Jays vs. Cubs Betting Prediction

• Money Line Prediction: Cubs (-168)
• Over/Under Prediction: Over 8.5 Runs

• The Cubs have won 7 of their last 10 games.
• The Cubs have scored an average of 5.6 runs per game in their last 10 home games.
• The Cubs have a home record of 33-27, while the Blue Jays have an away record of 28-34.
• The Cubs have won 5 of their last 6 home games.
• The Cubs scored 6 runs in their last game against the Blue Jays, securing a win.

Blue Jays vs Cubs

It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cubs vs Blue Jays series. Chicago went into the matchup as -129 favorites and squeaked out a 6-5 win. Toronto had a late rally, scoring three runs in the 9th, but Chad Green took the loss. Tyson Miller got the win out of the bullpen for the Cubs as Kyle Hendricks went five innings.

Yariel Rodriguez got the start for the Blue Jays, going five innings and giving up four runs. He finished the game with just two strikeouts and allowed three home runs. Leo Jimenez also went deep for Toronto, going 1/4 with three RBI.

Ian Happ had a two-home run game for the Cubs, scoring three times and driving in three runs. Cody Bellinger also went deep for Chicago, going 1/4 with two RBI.

As underdogs, the Blue Jays have struggled this season, posting a 21-39 record. However, as favorites, they have excelled, going 36-26. Overall, Toronto is 57-65 and 5th in the AL East, 15.5 games behind the Yankees.

On the run line, the Blue Jays have a 60-62 record, including a 39-23 mark on the road. Their games have hit the over in 66 of 119 contests, with an average of 9 runs per game. The O/U line for today’s game is 8.5 runs.

Chris Bassitt Gets The Start For The Blue Jays

Right-hander Chris Bassitt gets the start for the Blue Jays today as he faces the Cubs on the road. He has made 24 starts this season and has a record of 9-11 with a 4.30 ERA. Opponents have hit .263 off Bassitt this season, and his WHIP is 1.44. The last time he pitched, Bassitt gave up seven earned runs in four innings of work, taking the loss. Before that outing, he had won two straight starts. Bassitt has a total of 10 quality starts this season and is averaging 8.66 strikeouts per nine innings.

Blue Jays Offense Breakdown

Currently, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 21st in the MLB. They have been a better offensive team on the road this season, averaging 4.4 runs per game. As a team, they are batting just .239, but they do have the league’s 12th ranked home run hitter in Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Guerrero Jr. is also hitting .319 for the season and has 80 RBIs.

Guerrero Jr. has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 13/38 in his last nine games with three homers. Daulton Varsho is 2nd on the team with 15 homers but is batting just .208 for the season. Toronto will be looking to get their offense going, as they have just the 21st ranked home run total in the league.

Chicago’s overall series record is 15-21-3, and their games have had an average combined run total of 8.4 this season, resulting in an O/U record of 54-65. The Cubs have a 33-27 home record and a 27-36 record on the road, and their average run differential is 0.0.

As underdogs vs. the run line, the Cubs have been profitable with a 44-22 record, but as favorites, they are just 15-42. On the road, they are 36-27 vs. the run line, while at home, they are 23-37. Chicago is currently 10.5 games behind the Brewers in the NL Central, with a 60-63 record, placing them in 4th place.

Justin Steele Gets The Start For The Cubs

Left-hander Justin Steele gets the start for the Cubs today as he faces the Blue Jays at home. He has made 19 starts this season and has a record of 3-5 with an ERA of 3.16. Opposing batters are hitting .216 this season off Steele, and he has turned in 10 quality starts. In his last outing, Steele finished with a no-decision, going six innings and giving up one earned run on six hits. Before that, he had lost three straight starts. One positive note is that he has allowed just two earned runs in each of his last two outings.

Cubs Offense Breakdown

So far this season, the Cubs offense is averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They have been a little better on the road, averaging 4.3 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting just .235 and are 17th in the league in terms of home runs. However, they do come into the game with a good team walk rate and have the 13th best on-base percentage in the league.

Over his last nine games, Ian Happ has gone 10/35 with four homers and six RBIs. For the season, he leads the Cubs with 21 home runs and is batting just .233. Isaac Paredes has the 2nd most RBIs on the team (63) and is 2nd in homers (18) but is batting just .234 for the season.

Blue Jays vs Cubs Prediction

The best bet in this Blue Jays vs. Cubs matchup is to take the over at 8.5 runs. Our predicted final score is 5-4 in favor of the Cubs, meaning there is a little bit of value in taking the Cubs on the money line, but we see the payout for the over (-104) as a better option.

Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Chris Bassitt going five innings and Justin Steele going 5.1 innings. If you’re looking for a player prop bet, you could look at the strikeout totals for each starter, but we have Bassitt finishing with five K’s and Steele with five as well.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.