The Toronto Blue Jays are -120 favorites at Wrigley Field this afternoon, sending ace Dylan Cease to the mound against Chicago Cubs left-hander David Peterson.
The pitching gap is enormous, and it headlines my Blue Jays vs. Cubs predictions in this makeup game.
Read on for my MLB picks for this Thursday, Aug. 6 matchup.
Blue Jays vs Cubs predictions
Blue Jays vs Cubs best bet: Dylan Cease Over 7.5 strikeouts (-115)
The pitching matchup is the whole game here.
Dylan Cease has been a true ace for the Toronto Blue Jays, with a 2.41 ERA, and he misses bats at an elite level.
His 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings translate to roughly eight-plus in a typical six-inning start, comfortably clear of this 7.5 number, and he has piled up 10 quality starts in 20 outings, so he pitches deep enough to get there.
The game script helps, too.
With a below-replacement lefty in David Peterson on the hill for the Chicago Cubs, Toronto will build a lead and let Cease attack the zone rather than nibble, exactly the setup that lets his strikeouts stack up.
I’d play this until -125.
COVERS INTEL: Cease ranks third in MLB with 174 strikeouts and owns a 36.2% strikeout rate, one of the best marks in baseball.
Blue Jays vs Cubs same-game parlay (SGP)
Cease Over 7.5 strikeouts anchors my SGP from my best bet, and I’ll add the Blue Jays moneyline, backing the far superior starter over Peterson.
Ernie Clement going Over 1.5 total bases rounds it out, with Toronto’s steadiest hitter drawing a great matchup against a lefty who leaves too much over the plate.
Blue Jays vs Cubs SGP
- Dylan Cease Over 7.5 strikeouts
- Ernie Clement Over 1.5 total bases
- Blue Jays moneyline
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Blue Jays vs Cubs home run pick: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (+575)
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is my long-shot swing, and the case starts with the man on the mound. Peterson is a soft-tossing lefty who gets hit hard, and his sinker has been demolished this year, yielding a .432 xwOBA, with his four-seamer (.339 xwOBA) not far behind.
Guerrero, a right-handed bat who feasts on fastballs, holds the platoon edge and the profile to punish those pitches.
Vladdy’s season power numbers are down, but he can still do damage.
The wild card is Wrigley Field itself, where the wind dictates the home run environment. With it blowing out toward left field a little bit, this +550 price offers real value.
Keep it to a quarter unit.
- Best bets: 15-14, +0.72 units
- SGPs: 3-27, -3.81 units
- HR picks: 4-26, -1.62 units
Blue Jays vs Cubs odds
- Moneyline: Toronto -120 | Chicago +100
- Run line: Toronto -1.5 (+145) | Chicago +1.5 (-170)
- Over/Under: Over 7.5 (-105) | Under 7.5 (-115)
Blue Jays vs Cubs trend
David Peterson has allowed 1.36 home runs per nine innings this season, a concerning rate that sets up the Vladimir Guerrero Jr. home run bet. Find more MLB betting trends for Blue Jays vs. Cubs.
How to watch Blue Jays vs Cubs and game info
| Location | Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL |
| Date | Thursday, August 6, 2026 |
| First pitch | 2:20 p.m. ET |
| TV | MARQ, Sportsnet |
| Blue Jays starting pitcher | Dylan Cease (7-5, 2.41 ERA) |
| Cubs starting pitcher | David Peterson (6-7, 5.52 ERA) |
Blue Jays vs Cubs latest injuries
Blue Jays vs Cubs weather
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
Not intended for use in MA.
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