Toronto Blue Jays vs Chicago Cubs Prediction, Preview and Odds - 06/19/2026

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Friday, June 19, 2026

Venue:  Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL 

Where to Watch:  MLB TV

DraftKings:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +101, Cubs -122; Over/Under:  7 runs

Bet365:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +100, Cubs -120; Over/Under:  7.5 runs

BetMGM:  Moneyline odds:  Blue Jays +100, Cubs -120; Over/Under:  7 runs

Toronto Blue Jays:  36-38 (3rd place, AL East)

Chicago Cubs:  39-36 (3rd place, NL Central)

Do not miss out on our expert handicapper analysis! Nelly’s Sports is on a HOT STREAK in MLB on a 9-1 MLB RUN for +$7,860 PROFIT! Make sure you check out his picks and many more from the expert handicappers featured in the Shop Picks section.

Toronto Blue Jays:  6-4 last 10

Chicago Cubs:  5-5 last 10

The Blue Jays are entering this series off a win and completed the sweep in their 3-game series against the Boston Red Sox 3-0 in their last series. They enter this game with a 37-38 record overall and have a road record of 21-18. This is the series opener of a 3-game series with the Cubs on Friday. Their offense ranks 21st in the MLB with a .705 OPS. Trey Yesavage was their starting pitcher on Thursday while Kevin Gausman is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 4-4 with a 3.41 ERA this season. His team lost 2 of their last 3 games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season appearance, he allowed 1 ER, 1 HR, and 2 BB with 7 SO on 1 hit through 7 IP against the New York Yankees.

The Cubs are entering this series off a win and won their 3-game series against the Colorado Rockies 2-1 in their last series. They enter this game with a 39-36 record overall and have a home record of 22-16. This is the 1st game of a 3-game series with the Blue Jays on Friday and they have Thursday off as a day of rest. Their offense ranks 10th in the MLB with a .731 OPS. Javier Assad was their starting pitcher on Wednesday while Ben Brown is making his start in this game on Friday. He is 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA this season. His team won their last 3 straight games this season with him making an appearance. In his last MLB regular season start, he allowed 1 earned run, 0 homers, and 3 walks with 3 strikeouts on 7 hits through 5 innings pitched against the San Francisco Giants.

The current betting odds have the Cubs listed as a favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Cubs have looked good in their games this season with their 39-36 record overall which has them right in the middle of the NL Central. They have looked good in their own ballpark too with their 22-16 home record this season. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays haven't looked great in their games this season with their 37-38 record overall which has them right in the middle of the AL East. They have been a good road team though with their 21-18 road record this year. The Blue Jays are 6-4 in their last 10 games and just swept the Red Sox in their last series while the Cubs are 5-5 in their last 10 games and have been in a big slump lately, but they did win their last series against the Rockies and they have looked a lot better at home all season. Brown is going to be starting for the Cubs in this one and he has been their ace this season. He is 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA and the team has been having success with him lately as he has been the one bright spot for them. They have won 3 games in a row now with him starting and he is coming off another great start in which he gave up 1 earned run, something that has been a common theme for him. The Blue Jays are going with Gausman in this one and he hasn't looked bad this season. He is 4-4 with a 3.41 ERA, but lately the team hasn't been having a lot of success with him. He only gave up 1 earned run in his last start, but the team has lost 2 of their last 3 games with him starting and the Cubs do have the better offense here to put them over the edge in a game with 2 solid starters. Look for the Cubs to continue pulling themselves out of this slump and edge the Blue Jays out at home with a good performance from their ace. The best way to place a bet here is on the Cubs to win this game. 

Blue Jays Cubs Prediction:  Our MLB Pick for Friday, June 19, 2026 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Cubs 3 Blue Jays 2.

Don't miss our champion handicappers free picks, best bets, and expert baseball picks today.  And if you enjoyed this Toronto Blue Jays Chicago Cubs prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily MLB projections and previews.

Toronto Blue Jays: 95-110 (-6.4 units) on the moneyline in road games. 161-155 (-6.1 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 45-48 (-9.1 units) on the moneyline vs. an NL team with a team batting average of .255 or worse. 15-3 UNDER vs. a starting pitcher who gives up 0.5 or less HR's/start.

Chicago Cubs: 219-188 (+6.6 units) on the moneyline in all games. 121-84 (+10.8 units) on the moneyline in home games. 178-135 (+27 units) on the moneyline against right-handed starters. 20-10 UNDER against AL East opponents.

Toronto Blue Jays:  M. Scherzer (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Back. D. Varsho (CF) Ten Day IL - Wrist. J. Mantiply (RP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. L. Sosa (2B) Ten Day IL - Wrist. L. Estrada (RP) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. J. Berrios (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. A. Barger (RF) Ten Day IL - Elbow. S. Bieber (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Ponce (SP) Sixty Day IL - Knee. A. Santander (RF) Sixty Day IL - Shoulder. Y. Garcia (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. B. Francis (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

Chicago Cubs:  E. Cabrera (SP) Day To Day - Hand. D. Palencia (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. J. Taillon (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Hamstring. M. Boyd (SP) Fifteen Day IL - Knee. R. Martin (RP) Fifteen Day IL - Elbow. P. Hodge (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. C. Horton (SP) Sixty Day IL - Forearm. H. Harvey (RP) Sixty Day IL - Tricep. J. Steele (SP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow. T. Austin (1B) Sixty Day IL - Knee. S. Miller (RP) Sixty Day IL - Elbow.

“You've got to use everybody and you've got to be pretty deliberate with what the game state is. You're always trying to win the game at hand and you go, OK, do you go forward or do you ask guys to kind of pick up some innings and leverage that they normally wouldn't? You've got to gauge that out.” - John Schneider after his team’s win against the Red Sox in their game on Wednesday. 

“That inning, for so many reasons, was so good for everybody. That’s what we’ve been so good at in the past is having those big innings, really making pitchers work to get outs, using the ballpark to our advantage.” - Dansby Swanson after their win against the Rockies in their game on Wednesday. 

George Springer (R) DH

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (R) 1B

Jesús Sánchez (L) RF

Yohendrick Piñango (L) LF

Ernie Clement (R) 2B

Nathan Lukes (L) CF

Kazuma Okamoto (R) 3B

Brandon Valenzuela (S) C

Andrés Giménez (L) SS

Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF

Nico Hoerner (R) 2B

Seiya Suzuki (R) DH

Michael Busch (L) 1B

Alex Bregman (R) 3B

Ian Happ (S) LF

Matt Shaw (R) RF

Carson Kelly (R) C

Dansby Swanson (R) SS

Batting Average:  Nathan Lukes (.310)

Hits:  Ernie Clement (84)

Home Runs:  Kazuma Okamoto (15)

RBI:  Kazuma Okamoto (42)

Stolen Bases:  Andrés Giménez (10)

Wins:  Kevin Gausman (4)

Saves:  Louis Varland (14)

ERA:  Lazaro Estrada (0.00)

Batting Average:  Carson Kelly (.277)

Hits:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (78)

Home Runs:  Ian Happ (16)

RBI:  Michael Busch (42)

Stolen Bases:  Pete Crow-Armstrong (16)

Wins:  Colin Rea (5)

Saves:  Daniel Palencia (3)

ERA:  Ty Blach (0.00)

Managers:

Toronto Blue Jays: John Schneider (5th season)

Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell (3rd season)