Shota Imanaga and the Cubs (61-63) will host the Blue Jays today at Wrigley Field in Chicago, and the Cubs are the heavy favorite on the money line (-183). The money line odds for the Blue Jays are sitting at +154, and they will be looking to end a two-game losing streak.
Today's over/under line is at 7 runs, and the forecast for the game calls for broken clouds and temperatures in the upper 60s. Bowden Francis is starting for the Blue Jays. Chicago is currently 3rd in the NL Central, while the Blue Jays are 5th in the AL East. SNET will be televising today's interleague matchup.
Toronto vs. Chicago Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Blue Jays at Cubs
- Where: Wrigley Field Chicago
- Date: Sunday, August 18th
- Betting Odds CHC -183 | TOR +154 O/U 7
Blue Jays vs Cubs Last Game Recap
It was a low-scoring game in the most recent game of this Cubs vs Blue Jays series. Chicago went into the matchup as -168 favorites and squeaked out a 3-2 win. The Cubs had a big 5th inning, scoring all three of their runs. As for the Blue Jays, they scored their only two runs in the 7th.
Toronto wasted a good outing from Chris Bassitt, as he went five innings and gave up just three earned runs. Nate Pearson got the win for the Cubs out of the bullpen, and Jorge López got the save.
Offensively, the Cubs were led by Ian Happ, Dansby Swanson, and Michael Busch, as they were the only three Cubs hitters to have more than one hit. Addison Barger was the only Blue Jays hitter to have more than one hit.
Blue Jays Preview
Overall, the Blue Jays have a 57-66 record and are 15.5 games behind the Yankees in the AL East, currently sitting in 5th place. They have lost two straight games and are down 0-2 in the series vs. the Cubs.
On the run line, the Blue Jays have covered in each of their last six games, and their season record is 61-62. Toronto's games have averaged 9.0 runs per game, resulting in a 66-54 over/under record for the season. When the total is set at 7 runs, the under has hit in four out of five games.
Toronto is sending right-hander Bowden Francis to the mound today vs. the Cubs. He has made six starts this season and 20 appearances. Francis' record for the season is 5-3, and he has an ERA of 4.92. In his 56 2/3 innings of work, he has allowed 12 home runs and is coming off a start in which he allowed one homer. Against the Angels on August 12th, he picked up the win, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run. Francis has made one quality start this season and is averaging 8.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
For the season, the Blue Jays are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 22nd in the league. As a team, they are batting .239, and their team on-base percentage of .312 is 12th in the MLB. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been the team's top power threat this season, as his 25 homers is 11th in the league, and he is also 3rd in the league with 80 RBIs. Guerrero Jr. comes into the game with a batting average of .319.
Over his last five games, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has gone 7/23 with two homers and four RBIs. Leo Jiménez has also homered twice in his last five games but is just 3/14 during that stretch. Will Wagner has been hot of late, going 8/15 in his last four games.
Cubs Preview
Chicago has a 2-0 series lead over the Blue Jays heading into today's game, and they have won two straight games overall. The Cubs are 3rd in the NL Central with a 61-63 record, 10.5 games behind the Brewers.
On the run line, the Cubs have a 23-38 record at home with an average scoring margin of 0.5 runs per game, and they are 36-27 on the road with a scoring margin of -0.4 runs per game. As underdogs, they have a strong 44-22 run line record. The over/under record for Cubs games with a total of 7 runs is 4-5-1, and the season average total is 8.4 runs per game.
Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today and will be looking to build off his last outing, where he finished with a no-decision. In that start vs. the Guardians, he gave up three earned runs in five innings of work. Looking back further, Imanaga has made 22 starts this season and has a record of 9-2 with a 3.16 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .235 this season off Imanaga, and he has a total of 13 quality starts. Per nine innings, he is averaging 9.19 strikeouts and just 1.33 walks. At home, his ERA is 4.39 compared to 3.33 on the road.
Coming into today's game, the Cubs are averaging 4.2 runs per game, which is 20th in the league. They have been a bit better on the road, averaging 4.3 runs per game. Chicago's offense is 17th in batting average and on-base percentage. The Cubs have been a bit below average in terms of power, as they are 17th in home runs and have a collective slugging percentage of .386.
Ian Happ has been the Cubs' top power threat this season, as his 22 home runs lead the team and is 14th in the league. Happ has also been swinging a hot bat of late, going 7/22 in his last six games with three homers. Nico Hoerner comes into the game with a batting average of .254 and has gone deep five times this season.
Blue Jays vs. Cubs Prediction: Over 7 Runs -109
Our favorite bet for today's Blue Jays vs. Cubs matchup is to take the over, as we see the Cubs coming out on top but have the final score at 6-5 in favor of the Cubs. With the line sitting at seven runs, we see this as a great value.
Looking at the starting pitchers, Shota Imanaga is projected to finish with five strikeouts compared to Bowden Francis at four. However, we have Imanaga finishing with a higher ERA than Francis, and we see Imanaga finishing with seven strikeouts.
