Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays Preview (August 23): Back the Under in Toronto With AL Cy Young Favorite Lynn, Motivated Manoah on the Mound

Both the Chicago White Sox and Toronto Blue Jays enter this week off of a frustrating weekend, but who will grab the win in the opener of their four-game series? The White Sox came up short in a matchup of two of the top MLB betting odds favorites for the World Series, losing two of three against the Tampa Bay Rays. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays continued an ill-time slide by losing two of three at home to the Detroit Tigers.

While a series loss to the Rays does little to affect Chicago’s stroll to the AL Central title, Toronto’s current skid is a blow to their AL wild-card hopes. With most of the AL East and AL West battling it out for four playoff spots, losing seven of nine is far from ideal.

After a rough week at the plate against the Tigers, the Blue Jays have to take on the AL Cy Young favorite in tonight’s series opener before having to deal with two of the league’s strikeout leaders in Dylan Cease and Lucas Giolito. So it is imperative for the home team to start this series and this week well.

Chicago White Sox (72-53) vs Toronto Blue Jays (64-58), ESPN+, 7:07 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• Chicago White Sox: Lance Lynn (10-3, 2.26 ERA)
• Toronto Blue Jays: Alek Manoah (5-2, 3.34 ERA)

Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays Betting Odds

Moneyline

• Chicago White Sox -110
• Toronto Blue Jays -106

Total

• OVER 8.5 (-114)
• UNDER 8.5 (-106)

Run Line

• Chicago White Sox -1.5 (+140)
• Toronto Blue Jays +1.5 (-170)

White Sox vs Blue Jays are odds are via BetOnline Sportsbook as of Monday, August 23 at 9:30 a.m. ET. For comprehensive MLB betting odds from the rest of today’s MLB schedule, check out our MLB odds page.

Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays Betting Consensus

Moneyline

• Chicago White Sox 50%
• Toronto Blue Jays 50%

Total (at O/U 8.5)

• OVER 0%
• UNDER 100%

Run Line (at -/+1.5)

• Chicago White Sox 0%
• Toronto Blue Jays 100%

Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays August 23 Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays Betting Outlook

Lynn Looking for First August Win

The White Sox were on track for a successful weekend down in the Sunshine State after winning the series opener against the Rays. But they stunk it up in the last two games of the series, losing 8-4 on Saturday and 9-0 yesterday. As a result, they are now five games behind the Rays for the best record in the AL, which could be vital when the MLB playoffs roll around. But they’re still motoring along in the AL Central. The White Sox still lead the AL Central by 9.5 games, and AL Central odds still remain off of the board.

Saturday and Sunday marked the first time this season that the White Sox allowed eight or more runs in back-to-back games, so they will be aiming for a return to form tonight.

Lynn is looking for his first win this month in four starts, which would not only boost his team but also his place as the AL Cy Young favorite. The most recent MLB futures odds at BetOnline Sportsbook list Lynn as a -135 favorite, with Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees at +140. With Cole returning from a COVID absence with two good outings last week (2-0, 0.77 ERA with 15 strikeouts and one run, seven hits, and two walks allowed in 11.2 IP), Lynn needs to be sharp tonight.

The numbers favor a strong outing. Since a season-worst start in Houston on June 19, Lynn is 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA in four road starts. Each time out, he has given up one run in six innings. Outside of that start, he is 4-0 with a 1.53 ERA in his other seven road starts and 10-2 with a 1.89 ERA in his other 21 overall starts.

Blue Jays Bid to Stop Slide as Wild Card Hopes Take Hit

The Blue Jays are second in MLB in batting average (.264) and homers (186), fourth in runs per game (5.1), and lead the league in OPS (.783).

But they picked a bad time for the bats to go missing, as they mustered only seven runs in three games against the Tigers. On the positive side, they surrendered only nine runs against Detroit after allowing 20 in two midweek losses to the Washington Nationals. So there’s that.

The Blue Jays start this week four and a half games behind the Boston Red Sox and Oakland A’s for the second AL wild-card spot. With both teams still within reach, the Blue Jays still have the chance to make a move, but the sooner they right the ship, the better.

Manoah had the worst start of his debut campaign last time out, as he allowed six hits and seven runs to the Nationals on Tuesday. But he should be better tonight, based on how he has responded to poor performances so far. Tuesday was the fourth time that Manoah has allowed three or more runs in less than four innings. In the following start the first three times, he is 1-0 with a 0.50 ERA. In 18 innings pitched, he has allowed only one earned run (three total), ten hits, and five walks.

That said, the White Sox do have the edge on the mound tonight. Manoah is a fine prospect with a big future, but Lynn is the AL Cy Young favorite for a reason. However, the White Sox have won only one of five road series in the second half, while the Blue Jays are 10-5 in Toronto since they returned home at the end of July. Which advantage will play out tonight?

Chicago White Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays Best Bet

White Sox/Blue Jays UNDER 8.5

There’s an argument to be made for backing either side here. There are trends that play favorably for Lynn and the White Sox, and there are trends that play favorably for Manoah and the Blue Jays.

But with all of those trends in mind, the best play is instead the under. Lynn has been stingy in most of his road starts, while Manoah has been stingy after having a subpar start.

When the two teams met in Chicago in June, the three games finished with seven, eight, and seven runs. Lynn and Manoah matched up in the middle game, a 6-2 win for the Blue Jays, with five Toronto runs in the eighth and ninth leading them to the win after seven low-scoring innings. Look for runs to be at a premium again tonight in Toronto.

Monday, August 23 MLB Schedule

MLB Betting Matchup: Texas Rangers (43-80) vs Boston Red Sox (70-55), NESN, 1:10 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• Texas Rangers: Kolby Allard (3-10, 4.88 ERA)
• Boston Red Sox: Nathan Eovaldi (10-8, 3.91 ERA)

Texas Rangers vs Boston Red Sox August 23 Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: Arizona Diamondbacks (42-83) vs Pittsburgh Pirates (44-80), MLB Network, 7:05 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• Arizona Diamondbacks: Humberto Mejia (0-2, 5.40 ERA)
• Pittsburgh Pirates: Wil Crowe (3-7, 5.23 ERA)

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Pittsburgh Pirates August 23 Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: New York Yankees (72-52) vs Atlanta Braves (68-56), MLB Network, 7:20 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• New York Yankees: Luis Gil (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
• Atlanta Braves: Huascar Ynoa (4-2, 2.70 ERA)

New York Yankees vs Atlanta Braves August 23 Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: Colorado Rockies (57-67) vs Chicago Cubs (54-72), Marquee Sports, 8:05 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• Colorado Rockies: Antonio Senzatela (2-9, 4.58 ERA)
• Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele (2-2, 3.22 ERA)

Colorado Rockies vs Chicago Cubs August 23 Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: Kansas City Royals (55-68) vs Houston Astros (73-51), SportsNet Southwest, 8:10 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• Kansas City Royals: Daniel Lynch (3-3, 5.12 ERA)
• Houston Astros: Zack Greinke (11-3, 3.43 ERA)

Kansas City Royals vs Houston Astros August 23 Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More

MLB Betting Matchup: Seattle Mariners (67-58) vs Oakland A’s (70-55), NBC Sports California, 9:40 p.m. ET

Probable Pitchers

• Seattle Mariners: Marco Gonzales (5-5, 4.10 ERA)
• Oakland A’s: Paul Blackburn (0-1, 5.06 ERA)

Seattle Mariners vs Oakland A’s August 23 Matchup: Betting Picks, Odds, Stats and More