Cubs vs Blue Jays Odds, Picks & Predictions (Aug 29)
- The Cubs and Blue Jays face off at the Rogers Centre on Monday, August 29th
- The North Siders are hoping to be more competitive in 2023, while the Jays are among the three AL Wild Card teams
- Read below for the Cubs vs Blue Jays odds and betting preview
The Chicago Cubs (55-73) face the Toronto Blue Jays (68-58) on Monday at the Rogers Centre in the first game of a three-game set between two teams headed in opposite directions. First pitch is scheduled for 7:07 pm ET.
David Ross’ club will send Javier Assad to the mound, while John Schneider’s group counters with Jose Berrios. Not surprisingly, the Blue Jays are heavy favorites in this one.
Cubs vs Blue Jays Odds
| Team | Runline | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Cubs | +1.5 (-105) | +192 | Ov 9.5 (-105) |
| Toronto Blue Jays | -1.5 (-115) | -235 | Un 9.5 (-115) |
Odds as of August 28 at Caesars Sportsbook. Get Caesars Sportsbook bonus code.
Chicago vs Toronto Probable Pitchers
Looking at Monday’s MLB lineups, the 25-year-old Assad will make just his second career start on Monday north of the border. He pitched well in his big-league debut last Tuesday against the Cardinals, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing four hits and four walks while striking out three in an eventual 2-0 Cubs victory over the division-leading Cardinals.
Javier Assad turned in one of the best MLB debuts in Cubs franchise history: pic.twitter.com/x0jfyEyNze
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) August 23, 2022
The native of Mexico was an impending minor league free agent before being called up to the 40-man roster. Over 23 games (21 starts) at Double-A and AAA, Assad had a 2.66 ERA in 108.1 innings with a 24.8% strikeout rate.
Meantime, the 28-year-old Berrios may have an alarming ERA — but the Blue Jays have a sterling 18-7 record with him on the bump. 13 of Berrios’ starts have been of the quality variety, but he’s been shaky of late — sporting a 1-1 record and 7.08 ERA in August. Then, there’s this:
José Berríos since June 4th (15 GS, 162 G pace)
193 IP
197 K
24.2% K
18.9% K-BB
3.59 xFIP
3.48 SIERAEven with his inconsistencies, he’s been right around his career average in his peripherals since his 13 strikeout game against MIN.
— EJNave (@twitchejnave) August 25, 2022
The Puerto Rican had a nice bounce-back game in his last outing on Wednesday. He went six innings, allowing five hits, two earned runs and a walk while striking out six in an eventual 3-2 win over the Red Sox.
Assad vs Berrios Stats
| 0-0 | Record | 9-5 |
| 0.00 | ERA | 5.28 |
| 6.12 | xERA | 5.25 |
| 15.0% | K% | 21.2% |
Prior to dropping two of three to floundering Milwaukee and three of five to St. Louis, Chicago had gone 11-7 in August. That stretch includes a five-game winning streak. But this is a club that has very much been looking ahead to 2023 for virtually the whole season. The Cubs’ 3-4-5 hitters all finished with at least two hits in Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the Brew Crew, led by Nico Hoerner’s 3-for-5 day that included a two-run blast.
Nico Hoerner – Chicago Cubs (8)
pic.twitter.com/s4IgWXTd2O— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) August 28, 2022
Patrick Wisdom (22) and Willson Contreras (20) lead the team in big flies in 2022.
Meantime, after taking three of four games from the Yankees and sweeping the Red Sox, Schneider’s club was swept by the woebegone Angels in Toronto for the first time since 2013. An extreme lack of offense was the issue against the Halos — the Jays were shut out in back-to-back games for the first time all season then put up only three runs in an 8-3 defeat on Sunday.
Home run No. 1⃣9⃣ this season for George Springer. 👏#NextLevel | @BlueJays pic.twitter.com/Sv40uMlkiN
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 28, 2022
Toronto had four extra base hits including Springer’s long ball in the loss. This club is very much in the thick of the postseason hunt, but needs to win series — especially against inferior opponents — to continue that.
The Blue Jays have +1700 odds to win the Fall Classic, while the Cubs are at +400000 in the World Series odds.
CHC vs TOR Last 10 Meetings
| Date | Home Team | Away Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8/20/17 | Cubs | Blue Jays | CHC, 6-5 |
| 8/19/17 | Cubs | Blue Jays | CHC, 4-3 |
| 8/18/17 | Cubs | Blue Jays | CHC, 7-4 |
| 9/10/14 | Blue Jays | Cubs | TOR, 11-1 |
| 9/9/14 | Blue Jays | Cubs | TOR, 9-2 |
| 9/8/14 | Blue Jays | Cubs | TOR, 8-0 |
| 6/15/08 | Blue Jays | Cubs | CHC, 7-4 |
| 6/14/08 | Blue Jays | Cubs | CHC, 6-2 |
| 6/13/08 | Blue Jays | Cubs | TOR, 3-2 |
| 6/8/05 | Cubs | Blue Jays | CHC, 2-0 |
Chicago vs Toronto Prediction
Even though the Cubs are above .500 in August (the only month that has happened this season) and the Blue Jays enter the series having just been swept by a struggling team, this one feels like Toronto’s.
Assad had a nice debut last week. But look for the Jays to get back on the winning track in this spot.
Pick: Blue Jays -1.5 (-115)
DRAFTKINGS SPORTSBOOKBET $5 & GET $200 INSTANTLY & A NO SWEAT NBA SGP EVERY DAY!
- FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK
BET $5 & GET $150 GUARANTEED!
- BETMGM SPORTSBOOK
GET UP TO $1,500 BACK IN BONUS BETS!
- CAESARS SPORTSBOOK
GET UP TO $1,000 BACK - ON CAESARS!
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
