The St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays will continue a three-game series on Saturday afternoon in Toronto.
Friday’s opener went the Blue Jays’ way via a 3-1 decision after they broke a tie with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
With Saturday's contest set for 3:07pm ET, it’s time to break down the matchup and discuss the best bets to make.
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Toronto Blue Jays betting picks and predictions
Toronto Blue Jays money line (-135)
It has been an entirely disappointing season for the Blue Jays (51-59), but they are starting to play some decent baseball. They are 3-1 in their last four games and have not taken back-to-back losses since July 22. The Cardinals (54-56) are playing themselves out of National League wild-card contention with a disastrous 3-11 record in their last 14 contests.
The storylines surrounding this matchup are all about pitching. With the trade deadline looming, Kevin Gausman could be making his final start for Toronto. St. Louis (54-56) is countering with highly touted prospect Quinn Mathews, who is set for his major-league debut.
Gausman’s services are appealing to contenders because he can eat up plenty of innings and slot in as a middle-of-the-rotation guy with a plethora of playoff experience. The right-hander's 2026 numbers are nothing special, but he has been effective at home. He comes in with a 3.86 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in Toronto compared to a 5.33 ERA on the road.
Mathews was the Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2024 but labored through a shoulder injury in 2025 and has not been quite the same since those struggles. A first-ever appearance on the big stage is never an easy situation to handle, so the Blue Jays should be able to provide Gausman with enough run support to prevail.
Over 8.5 (+100)
Gausman may turn in a solid performance, but a lights-out effort is unlikely at best. The 35-year-old has allowed at least three earned runs in four consecutive starts. He has not worked more than 6.0 innings in seven straight appearances.
Five of Gausman’s last seven starts have resulted in at least nine total runs scored between the two teams involved.
The bullpens could be heavily involved in this contest, which does not bode well for either side. St. Louis ranks in the bottom 10 of Major League Baseball in bullpen ERA (4.36). Toronto’s ‘pen is not bad, but it was heavily taxed in the previous series against Washington. The Blue Jays used a total of 12 relievers for 16.1 innings across those three games.
Alec Burleson Over 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs (-130)
The Cardinals’ first baseman is on a three-game hitting streak after going 1-for-3 with a double on Friday. He is a decent 2-for-7 lifetime against Gausman with no strikeouts, so the 27-year-old should be in line for more success on Saturday. Burleson is seeing the ball extremely well right now, as evidenced by a trio of three-hit performances in the last 11 days.
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St. Louis Cardinals vs. Toronto Blue Jays odds
St. Louis Cardinals | -115 |
Toronto Blue Jays | +135 |
Run Line | TOR Blue Jays -1.5 |
Total | O/U 8.5 |
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Toronto Blue Jays player props
Player Home Run odds
Jordan Walker (STL) | +390 |
Alec Burleson (STL) | +390 |
Ivan Herrero (STL) | +500 |
Kazuma Okamoto (TOR) | +290 |
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR) | +400 |
George Springer (TOR) | +425 |
St. Louis Cardinals vs. Toronto Blue Jays team news
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals’ bullpen situation is compromised by the absence of JoJo Romero, who has been sidelined since July 12 due to appendicitis. Romero just started playing catch on Thursday, so his return is uncertain. The left-hander is the subject of trade-deadline rumors, but his physical status is complicating a potential transaction.
Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto is also expected to be in sell mode at the deadline, because the defending American League champions are nine games under .500 and 5.5 games out of the third and final wild-card spot. In addition to Gausman, starter Shane Bieber and outfielder Dalton Varsho could be moved. All-star reliever Louis Varland is reportedly not available.
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
