Interleague action swings to the North Side of Chicago this afternoon for a matinee between the suddenly surging Jays and the NL Central-leading Cubs. It’s no surprise to see the betting odds favor the defending champs in this spot as they’ll call upon Jake Arrieta in the contest with the former Cy Young Sportsbook looking for his seventh consecutive quality start.
Arrieta has been a new man since the all-star break, posting a 4-1 record along with a 2.09 ERA in his last six starts after a rough first three months. He’s not had a lot of work against these Jays but in his limited work (62 at-bats), he’s been highly successful – limiting current Toronto batters to a .175 average.
Jake’s counterpart today has been no slouch his last few starts either. J.A. Happ (6-8, 3.63 ERA) has posted three straight wins, giving up just three total runs and striking out 23 batters in his last 18.2 innings on the starting bump.
With seven of the Jays’ last eight games going UNDER, expect some lower scores in this series than you’ve been seeing from the Cubs of late and expect Toronto to steal at least one of these results.
Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago Cubs Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Chicago Cubs sport a record of 63-57 heading into this matchup, while the Toronto Blue Jays sit at 59-62 on the season. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Chicago vs Toronto injuries news.
It's a MLB baseball betting matchup between the No. 7-rated Chicago Cubs and the league No. 15-ranked Toronto Blue Jays, according to the latest MLB power poll here at OddsShark.
Statistical Matchup
The game also pits Chicago Cubs No. 8-rated offense, averaging 4.83 runs per game, against a Toronto Blue Jays defense that ranks No. 20 at 4.9 in runs allowed per game. The Chicago Cubs have averaged 8.48 hits per game so far, more than Toronto Blue Jays batters have averaged on the year (8.12 hits per game).
Defensively, Toronto features the No. 20-rated defense on the road, allowing 5.03 runs per game. Chicago, meanwhile, comes in at No. 8 at home, scoring 5.02 runs per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Toronto overcame a dynamite 10-strikeout performance against Chris Archer last time out, emerging with a 5-3 win against Tampa Bay on Thursday at Rogers Centre.
Chicago suffered a 13-10 loss against Cincinnati on Thursday, as Jon Lester wasn't able to lead his team to victory at Wrigley Field.
Next Betting Matchups
Toronto at Chicago, Saturday, August 19