Chicago Cubs at Toronto Blue Jays, MLB forecast
Win probability
Starts from the pregame forecast, then moves with the score and the time left after each inning. Above the line favors TOR.
Game center
From the ESPN box score.
Top performers
Cubs- Michael BuschBatting1-4, 1 RBI
- Javier AssadPitching4.0 IP, 4 ER, 2 K
Blue Jays- Ernie ClementBatting1-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI
- Jose BerriosPitching5.1 IP, 0 ER, 3 K
Scoring summary
- 8Varsho homered to right (387 feet).1–5
- 7Busch singled to center, Swanson scored, Castro to second.1–4
- 4Clement homered to left (370 feet), Varsho scored and France scored.0–4
- 1Kirk singled to center, Bichette scored, Guerrero Jr. to second.0–1
The pick
Reconstructed from what was known before the game: the ratings at that point and the closing line.
Blue Jays 53%
Forecast Elo ratings alone
How often that comes true: MLB favorites the forecast gave 50–55% have won 52.7% of 2,871 graded games.
- Market
- TOR 53%
- ML CHC +105 / TOR -125
- Pre-line forecast
- TOR 52%
- Elo + market-implied
- Elo ratings
- TOR 50%
- Ratings vs. market
- −3.1 pts
- TOR: Elo 50.1%, market 53.2%
- Fair odds
- TOR -114
- CHC +114 · the forecast as odds, no margin
- Pregame projection
- CHC 4.1 – 4.4 TOR
- Margin from the forecast, posted total 8.5
How the number is built
Elo inputs in rating points (higher favors that team; 25–28 Elo is about a point of spread in football and basketball), then how the pieces combine.
| Factor | CHC | TOR | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Team rating | 1539 | 1520 | Elo entering the game; 1500 is league average |
| Home field | — | +18 | Worth 18 Elo in MLB |
| Starting pitchers | −6 | −4 | CHC: Javier Assad: team allows 0.30 more runs than with its usual starter (≈10 weighted starts) · TOR: Jose Berrios: team allows 0.19 more runs than with its usual starter (≈10 weighted starts) |
| Elo ratings | TOR +1 Elo | TOR 50.1% | |
| Market-implied ratings | TOR 52.2% | Team strength as past closing lines priced it, same game context | |
| Pre-line forecast | TOR 51.9% | 15% Elo, 85% market-implied (log-odds blend) | |
| Forecast | TOR 53.2% | Follows the market (vig removed): in testing, adding the ratings made it less accurate | |
Tale of the tape
This season coming into the game, regular season, each number with its league rank (the longer the bar, the higher). Home and road: the host's record at home against the visitor's on the road. Opponent Elo: how strong the teams each has played are, 1st the toughest.
| CHC | Stat | TOR |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd of 305.1 | Runs scored | 4.97th of 30 |
| 10th of 304.1 | Runs allowed | 4.523rd of 30 |
| 2nd of 30+1.0 | Margin | +0.410th of 30 |
| 10th of 305–5 | Last 10 | 6–46th of 30 |
| 3rd of 3031–28 | Road vs home | 38–191st of 30 |
| 9th of 301503 | Opponent Elo | 149918th of 30 |
| 4th of 301539 | Elo rating | 152010th of 30 |
Rating history
Each team's Elo over the last two seasons. Hover or drag to compare on any date.
Recent form
Last five results, and whether the forecast hit.
Against the line
How each team has done against the closing spread and total, coming into this game.
| This season |  CHC |  TOR |
|---|---|---|
| Run line | 55–62 | 69–50 |
| Last 10 | 4–6 | 6–4 |
| Favorite | 38–40 | 27–29 |
| Underdog | 17–22 | 41–21 |
| Overs–unders | 62–55 | 69–50 |
| Overs–unders, last 10 | 3–7 | 8–2 |
Against each game's closing line. Books set every line knowing these records: across 3,901 past games, the team with the better record against the spread so far that season covered 51.2%, short of the 52.4% a standard −110 bet needs, and over/under streaks held 48.0% of the time. They describe the past.
Head to head
CHC 4–2 TOR in their last 6 meetings; the forecast called 3 of 6.