Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays Betting Preview/Prop Picks
30 August 2022
Time: 7:07 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Chicago Cubs 14.167; Toronto 13.132
Dunkel Line & Total: Chicago Cubs by 1; 11
Vegas Line & Total: Toronto (-218); 8
Dunkel Pick: Chicago Cubs (+181); Over
The Chicago Cubs have lost three games in a row, bringing their record to 55-74. Ranking third in the NL Central, the Cubs have a long way to climb if they want to get back in the race.
Yesterday's 5-4 loss was to the Toronto Blue Jays, the same team they're playing tonight. The Cubs come into this game as +181 underdogs for obvious reasons but hope to pull off the win.
The Toronto Blue Jays rank third in the AL East with a record of 69-58 this season. The Blue Jays have a mix of strong batting and pretty solid pitching as well.
They can also use yesterday's game as a guide to win again. They come into this game as pretty heavy favorites (-218). The question is, can they pull off another win, and are they the best pick tonight?
Chicago Cubs: Cubs look to break the losing streak
After three straight losses, things aren't looking good for the Cubs. Currently, they're 20 games back from the first-place team in the division. It's not likely that they'll catch up to the 75-54 St. Louis Cardinals, but the Milwaukee Brewers are within reach.
It'll take a lot of winning on the Cubs' part, but it's not impossible. First, they'll need to break the losing streak against Toronto.
On the mound for the Cubs is Marcus Stroman, who has had a rough season. Stroman is 3-6 this season with a 4.10 ERA over the course of 96.2 innings.
In that same time, Stroman has allowed 12 home runs and thrown just 84 strikeouts. He's backed up by a batting group that has an average of .241, ranking 17th in the league. They rank 21st in runs with 533, however.
Toronto Blue Jays: Are the Blue Jays the better pick in this game?
With a record of 69-58, you'd think the Blue Jays are a shoo-in to win this game. However, let's take a look at their previous games before they beat the Cubs.
Their most recent series was against the Los Angeles Angels, one of the worst teams in the league. The Blue Jays lost three games in a row and were swept by the struggling Angels. Keep this in mind when placing bets.
On the mound for Toronto is Kevin Gausman, who has a 9-9 record with a 3.15 ERA. Gausman has had a strong season, throwing 155 strikeouts in 134.1 innings.
He's also backed by a fairly strong batting unit. As a team, the Blue Jays have a .261 average, ranking third overall. They also have the fourth-best on-base percentage in the league (.324) and earned 590 runs.
Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays Betting Pick
The Toronto Blue Jays seem like the better pick at first glance. However, there are a few things that the Cubs bring to this game.
For starters, Toronto is 2-6 in their last eight games at home. This gives the Cubs a slight advantage against the numbers tonight.
Along with that, the Cubs only narrowly lost yesterday's game. After correcting a few mistakes, the Cubs should be able to pull off a win tonight.
They also come in as +181 underdogs, boosting your winnings at the sportsbook. We'll also take the over since the total has gone over in four of Toronto's last six games against Chicago.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Chicago Cubs +181, OVER
Prop Picks
Chicago Cubs (-145) OVER 2.5 Runs
Toronto is allowing 4.26 runs per 9 innings on defense, which ranks No. 16 in the league. That average increases to 4.55 runs per 9 innings at home. Scores have gone OVER in four of the Blue Jays’ last six games versus the Cubs.
With Dunkel predicting a Chicago victory by the score of 6-5, take the Cubs (-145) to finish OVER their Vegas team total of 2.5 runs against Toronto.
George Springer (-140) OVER 0.5 Runs Scored
Springer has scored 66 runs in 101 games played this season, which ranks No. 3 on the Blue Jays. The center fielder has scored 38 runs in 209 at-bats with an OBP of .338 at home.
With Dunkel predicting the final score going OVER the Vegas total, take Springer (-140) to finish OVER 0.5 runs scored versus the Cubs.
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