The Toronto Blue Jays have to be one of the most confounding teams in baseball this season.
After a road trip where they took six of seven from the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, they returned home to play the lowly Los Angeles Angels and promptly got swept.
Tonight, they’ll try to quickly put that series behind them as another team well out of the postseason picture makes a trip to the Rogers Centre – the Chicago Cubs. However, the Jays better not overlook the Cubbies who have played much better in the second half of the season.
Check out our free MLB betting picks and predictions for Cubs vs. Blue Jays on Monday, August 29.
Cubs vs Blue Jays odds
This odds widget represents the best odds available for each betting market from regulated sportsbooks.
The Blue Jays opened this interleague matchup as -235 home favorites but that hasn’t scared off bettors as the line is now as big as Blue Jays -250. The total hit the board at 9.5 and has been bet down to 9 as of Monday afternoon.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until first pitch and be sure to check out the full MLB odds before placing your bets.
Cubs vs Blue Jays predictions
- Prediction: Blue Jays -1.5 (-115)
- Prediction: Over 9 (+100)
- Best bet: Berrios to record a win (+115)
Picks made on 8/29/2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET.
Click on each pick to jump to the full analysis.
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Cubs vs Blue Jays game info
• Location: Rogers Centre, Toronto, ON
• Date: Monday, August 29, 2022
• First pitch: 7:07 p.m. ET
• TV: Sportsnet
Cubs vs Blue Jays betting preview
Starting pitchers
Javier Assad (0-0, 0.00 ERA): Assad makes just his second career start tonight against the Blue Jays. The right-hander relies mostly on a cutter, a four-seamer, and a sinker. His first start lasted four innings in which he didn’t give up a run to the Cardinals but allowed four hits and four walks.
Jose Berrios (9-5, 5.28 ERA): The right-hander almost perfectly embodies this Blue Jays season — a ton of potential but inexplicably bad at times. Berrios owns a 5.26 expected ERA this season but 13 of his 25 outings have been quality starts.
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our MLB weather info.
Key injuries
Find our latest MLB injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Over is 6-2 in Blue Jays' last eight games vs. a starter with a WHIP greater than 1.30. Find more MLB betting trends for Cubs vs. Blue Jays
Cubs vs Blue Jays picks and predictions
Our side and total predictions are based upon our analysis of the line and total in this game. Our best bet is our favorite pick across all markets.
Run line analysis
The Blue Jays are one of the hardest teams to figure out in baseball. The Jays were flying high after taking six of seven games at Yankee Stadium and Fenway Park but then plummeted back down to Earth after getting swept by the Angels over the weekend.
The Jays are still holding on to the final wild card in the American League, but they can’t overlook a Cubs team that is a solid 20-16 since the All-Star break. Tonight, they hand the ball to Jose Berrios to stop the skid, but Berrios has been as puzzling as the Blue Jays this season.
When things have gone bad for Berrios, they have gone really bad, but it seems that the Blue Jays’ right-hander has turned a corner since the start of July. He has allowed three earned runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 starts, including back-to-back impressive performances against the Yankees and Red Sox, where he surrendered three earned runs on 11 hits while striking out 15 in 12 innings of work between those games.
The Cubs counter Berrios with rookie Javier Assad. The 25-year-old didn’t give up a run against the Cardinals in his first career start, but he was lucky to get away with that as the right-hander gave up four hits and four walks.
And while the Blue Jays have been inconsistent at the plate, this team still ranks third in batting average and OPS when facing right-handed pitchers.
The other problem for the Cubs here is that they'll likely be happy to get another four innings out of Assad in this one, then they’ll hand the ball to a bullpen that ranks 23rd in ERA and 21st in opponent average for several innings.
The Jays need a win in this one and should be motivated to bounce back after a dreadful weekend. So, there is some value on them to win this one by a couple of runs.
Prediction: Blue Jays -1.5 (-115 at Caesars)
Over/Under analysis
When it comes to the total, the early money has come in on the Under, but that has dropped the number low enough to consider the other side.
For starters, it’s Jose Berrios and you can’t be 100% certain about what you’re going to get. But even if he is solid, he’s probably likely to give up a couple of runs. And if it’s one of his bad nights, this one could go way Over.
It doesn’t hurt that the Cubbies do a decent job against right-handers, ranking 15th in batting average and 13th in OPS.
For Toronto, it seems to come down to focus. This team ranks sixth in scoring, third in average, fourth in OPS, and ninth in home runs. Plus, they don't strike out a lot. If they can settle in the second time through the lineup, they should be able to take advantage of this young pitching staff.
Prediction: Over 9 (+100 at Caesars)
Best bet
I sound like a broken record but the Jays need a win and a strong performance from Berrios.
The last two starts have been promising, he's recorded a quality start in six of his last nine, and the Jays have won eight of Berrios’ last 10 starts.
If he has his good stuff tonight, he is set up well to record his 10th win of the season.
Jose Berrios Prop: To record a win (+115)
