Contributing Writer

Blue Jays vs. Marlins best bet Aug. 24: Back a red-hot Bo Bichette in Sunday’s series finale

The Toronto Blue Jays look for a series sweep over the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

The pregame narrative: Yesterday’s game needed 12 innings to decide a winner, and Bo Bichette was the hero with his bat and on defence. For today’s contest, Kevin Gausman starts for Toronto opposite Eury Perez for Miami.

Check out my Blue Jays best bets vs. the Marlins for Aug. 24.

Blue Jays best bets vs. Marlins

Best bet: Bichette over 1.5 total bases (+100)

The hard-hitting shortstop drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 12th inning before picking off the runner on second base to help secure the win in the bottom half.

But he didn’t need the extra innings to top this line.

In total, he had four singles in six at-bats, easily cashing this wager.

That makes three straight games with at least two total bases for Bichette.

On Sunday, he’ll see Marlins’ ace Eury Perez, but I don’t have much concern with the matchup.

It’s a very limited sample size, but Bichette has one hit in two at-bats vs. Perez in his career — nothing crazy, but still something that works in our favour.

More importantly, Perez has a below-average walk rate (9.3%), so there should be plenty of chances for Bichette to hit something hard.

Additionally, the Marlins’ Bullpen has a 4.34 ERA over the last 30 days and should be rather spent from last night’s lengthy contest.

Key stat: Bichette’s on an eight-game hitting streak, slashing .424/.472/.545 during that span.

Jays prop bet

Perez under 16.5 outs (-105): What drew me to this pick was the previously mentioned low walk rate.

Toronto’s lineup is already hard to deal with, and it could be seeing the return of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Blue Jays strike out the fewest times per game (6.70)

Toronto has the best batting average as a team (.267)

They also draw 3.28 walks per game (11th).

Three of their top four hitters (Bichette, Guerrero, and Alejandro Kirk) have better than an 85th-percentile K-rate, with George Springer sitting in the 67th-percentile.

A healthy Jays lineup can do damage against any pitcher, and Perez should need to work hard in this one.

The hard-throwing righty gets a lot of strikeouts (25.6% K rate) on top of walking a lot of batters. It’s a formula for a high pitch count even in successful outings.

Despite having a 3.82 ERA over his last six starts, he’s 2-4 against this line.

Blue Jays best bets made at 10:14 a.m. ET on 08/24/2025.

Blue Jays vs. Marlins best bet Aug. 24: Back a red-hot Bo Bichette in Sunday’s series finale

The Toronto Blue Jays look for a series sweep over the Miami Marlins on Sunday.

The pregame narrative: Yesterday’s game needed 12 innings to decide a winner, and Bo Bichette was the hero with his bat and on defence. For today’s contest, Kevin Gausman starts for Toronto opposite Eury Perez for Miami.

Check out my Blue Jays best bets vs. the Marlins for Aug. 24.

Blue Jays best bets vs. Marlins

Best bet: Bichette over 1.5 total bases (+104)

The hard-hitting shortstop drove in the game-winning run in the top of the 12th inning before picking off the runner on second base to help secure the win in the bottom half.

But he didn’t need the extra innings to top this line.

In total, he had four singles in six at-bats, easily cashing this wager.

That makes three straight games with at least two total bases for Bichette.

On Sunday, he’ll see Marlins’ ace Eury Perez, but I don’t have much concern with the matchup.

It’s a very limited sample size, but Bichette has one hit in two at-bats vs. Perez in his career — nothing crazy, but still something that works in our favour.

More importantly, Perez has a below-average walk rate (9.3%), so there should be plenty of chances for Bichette to hit something hard.

Additionally, the Marlins’ Bullpen has a 4.34 ERA over the last 30 days and should be rather spent from last night’s lengthy contest.

Key stat: Bichette’s on an eight-game hitting streak, slashing .424/.472/.545 during that span.

Embed: #117207

Jays prop bet

Perez under 17.5 outs (-122): What drew me to this pick was that previously mentioned low walk rate.

Toronto’s lineup is already hard to deal with, and it could be seeing the return of Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

The Blue Jays strike out the fewest times per game (6.70)

Toronto has the best batting average as a team (.267)

They also draw 3.28 walks per game (11th).

Three of their top four hitters (Bichette, Guerrero, and Alejandro Kirk) have better than an 85th-percentile K-rate, with George Springer sitting in the 67th-percentile.

A healthy Jays lineup can do damage against any pitcher, and Perez should need to work hard in this one.

The hard-throwing righty gets a lot of strikeouts (25.6% K rate) on top of walking a lot of batters. It’s a formula for a high pitch count even in successful outings.

Despite having a 3.82 ERA over his last six starts, he’s 2-4 against this line.

Blue Jays best bets made at 9:10 a.m. ET on 08/24/2025.

US Open 2025 tennis betting preview: Alcaraz right behind Sinner, top Canadian contenders and key Grand Slam notes

The 2025 U.S. Open is quickly approaching, as tennis’ top stars will battle it out for the final Grand Slam of the season.

The pre-tournament narrative: Last year’s champions lead the way with Jannik Sinner favoured on the men’s side and Aryna Sabalenka tied for the shortest women’s odds. Victoria Mboko, 18, is breaking out as Canada’s next tennis star and sits seventh on the odds table.

Check out our U.S. Open 2025 betting preview for the Grand Slam tennis major starting on Aug. 24 in New York.

US Open 2025 betting preview

Player	Betting Odds
Jannik Sinner	+110
Carlos Alcaraz	+175
Novak Djokovic	+1,200
Jack Draper	+1,800
Alexander Zverev	+2,000
Ben Shelton	+2,000
Taylor Fritz	+2,800
Daniil Medvedev	+5,000

Tennis betting odds as of 9:33 a.m. on 08/23/2025.

Men’s favourites and contenders

The three most recent champions top the odds board on the men’s side.

Sinner won in 2024 and is the favourite to repeat this season. He’s only lost four matches this year, with three of those losses coming to rival Carlos Alcaraz.

So, it’s unsurprising to see that the Spaniard, who won in 2022, is right behind the Italian with +160 odds to win.

Novak Djokovic, the 2023 champ, is the only other player with odds shorter than 10-to-1 (+900). He’s now 38 years old, but the Serbian has often defied time and should be considered a serious contender.

Djokovic’s 553-93 career record on hardcourts is unmatched. His 85.6% win rate on the surface is the best of any active men’s player on tour.

Top Canadians at U.S. Open

Felix Auger-Aliassime (+25,000) will need to recapture his form from earlier this season if he wants a shot at the U.S. Open. He started the year winning 12 of 15 matches on outdoor hardcourts, collecting an ATP 250 title in Adelaide in the process. Since then, he’s gone 4-5 on the surface.

Denis Shapovalov (+15,000) shares the shorter odds than his fellow countryman. Shapovalov is not the best on this playing surface, holding a 26-24 record since the start of 2023.

Gabriel Diallo (15,000) officially became a staple on tour when he won his first ATP title in 2025. That was contested on grass, however. The Canadian is 13-12 on outdoor hardcourts this season and will face No. 60-ranked Damir Dzumhur in the first round on Sunday.

Full U.S. Open betting markets

Women’s favourites and contenders

Player	Betting Markets
Iga Swiatek	+245
Aryna Sabalenka	+290
Coco Gauff	+700
Mira Andreeva	+1,100
Elena Rybakina	+1,100
Naomi Osaka	+1,600
Victoria Mboko	+2,000
Madison Keys	+2,000
Amanda Anisimova	+2,200

Tennis betting odds as of 9:33 a.m. on 08/23/2025.

The top three-ranked players on tour headline the favourites on the women’s side.

Iga Swiatek and Sabalenka lead the way at +245 and +290, respectively. Coco Gauff is third on the board and the only other player inside of 10-to-1 odds (+700).

The world No. 1 is defending her U.S. Open title and aiming for her first Slam of the season. Sabalenka fell short in both the French Open and Australian Open finals.

Her 26-5 record on outdoor hardcourts this year is still elite, and she deserves to be among the favourites.

Is there anyone hotter than Swiatek right now, though? She won Wimbledon, is coming off a title at the Cincinnati Open, and her 85.7% win rate on hardcourts is the highest all-time on the WTA Tour.

Canadian women at U.S. Open

Leylah Fernandez has been inconsistent this year, but she can rival anyone at her best. She won five straight matches in Washington to bring home her first title of the season before losing three of her next four. She will play a qualifier/lucky loser that’s still to be determined in the first round.

Mboko (+2,000) is a seeded player at the U.S. Open after winning her first WTA 1000 title at the National Bank Open in Montreal. She’s 53-9 (19-2 on hardcourts) this season and faces a tough out in Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday.

US Open 2025 betting notes

Taylor Fritz, who finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open last season, has 28-to-1 odds to win in 2025. He played 17 matches between July 1 and the start of the tournament, so fatigue could be a factor. He went 13-4 in that span.

Jessica Pegula, the finalist on the women’s side last season, is also +2,500 to win the U.S. Open. She continues to be a fantastic hardcourt player (22-9 in 2025) and has three WTA titles so far. The world No. 4 seemingly has value with the seventh-shortest odds.

Daniil Medvedev (2021) and Naomi Osaka (2020, 2018) are previous U.S. Open winners competing in this year’s tournament. Medvedev is a +5,000 choice, while Osaka has +1,600 odds to win her third U.S. Open title.

Bet on the U.S. Open

US Open FAQ

Where is the U.S. Open?
The U.S. Open will be played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

When does the U.S. Open start?
The first round of the U.S. Open starts on Sunday, Aug. 24 and runs for three days before second-round action begins on Aug. 27.

When is the U.S. Open final?
The U.S. Open finals will take place on back-to-back days. The women’s final is set for Sept. 6, with the men’s final taking place the following day on Sept. 7.

Who won the last U.S. Open?
Sinner beat Fritz in the 2024 men’s final. He’s been to each of the three Grand Slams since, winning two of them. On the women’s side, Sabalenka beat Pegula in 2024. It marked Sabalenka’s third major victory and first outside of the Australian Open.

Who has the most U.S. Open titles of all time?
In the Open era, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Jimmy Connors have all won five titles. On the women’s side, Serena Williams has six U.S. Open titles to her name.

US Open 2025 tennis betting preview: Alcaraz right behind Sinner, top Canadian contenders and key Grand Slam notes

The 2025 U.S. Open is quickly approaching, as tennis’ top stars will battle it out for the final Grand Slam of the season.

The pre-tournament narrative: Last year’s champions lead the way with Jannik Sinner favoured on the men’s side and Aryna Sabalenka tied for the shortest women’s odds. Victoria Mboko, 18, is breaking out as Canada’s next tennis star and sits 10th on the odds table.

Check out our U.S. Open 2025 betting preview for the Grand Slam tennis major starting on Aug. 24 in New York.

US Open 2025 betting preview

Men’s favourites and contenders

The three most recent champions top the odds board on the men’s side.

Sinner won in 2024 and is the favourite to repeat this season. He’s only lost four matches this year, with three of those losses coming to rival Carlos Alcaraz.

So, it’s unsurprising to see that the Spaniard, who won in 2022, is right behind the Italian with +160 odds to win.

Novak Djokovic, the 2023 champ, is the only other player with odds shorter than 10-to-1 (+900). He’s now 38 years old, but the Serbian has often defied time and should be considered a serious contender.

Djokovic’s 553-93 career record on hardcourts is unmatched. His 85.6% win rate on the surface is the best of any active men’s player on tour.

Top Canadians at U.S. Open

Felix Auger-Aliassime (+30,000) will need to recapture his form from earlier this season if he wants a shot at the U.S. Open. He started the year winning 12 of 15 matches on outdoor hardcourts, collecting an ATP 250 title in Adelaide in the process. Since then, he’s gone 4-5 on the surface.

Denis Shapovalov (+30,000) shares the same odds as his fellow countryman. Shapovalov is not the best on this playing surface, holding a 26-24 record since the start of 2023.

Gabriel Diallo officially became a staple on tour when he won his first ATP title in 2025. That was contested on grass, however. The Canadian is 13-12 on outdoor hardcourts this season and will face No. 60-ranked Damir Dzumhur in the first round on Sunday.

Full U.S. Open betting markets

Women’s favourites and contenders

The top three-ranked players on tour headline the favourites on the women’s side.

Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek lead the way at +250 apiece. Coco Gauff is third on the board and the only other player inside of 10-to-1 odds (+800).

The world No. 1 is defending her U.S. Open title and aiming for her first Slam of the season. Sabalenka fell short in both the French Open and Australian Open finals.

Her 26-5 record on outdoor hardcourts this year is still elite, and she deserves to be co-favourite.

Is there anyone hotter than Swiatek right now, though? She won Wimbledon, is coming off a title at the Cincinnati Open, and her 85.7% win rate on hardcourts is the highest all-time on the WTA Tour.

Canadian women at U.S. Open

Leylah Fernandez has been inconsistent this year, but she can rival anyone at her best. She won five straight matches in Washington to bring home her first title of the season before losing three of her next four. She will play a qualifier/lucky loser that’s still to be determined in the first round.

Mboko (+2,400) is a seeded player at the U.S. Open after winning her first WTA 1000 title at the National Bank Open in Montreal. She’s 53-9 (19-2 on hardcourts) this season and faces a tough out in Barbora Krejcikova on Sunday.

US Open 2025 betting notes

Taylor Fritz, who finished as the runner-up at the U.S. Open last season, has 20-to-1 odds to win in 2025. He played 17 matches between July 1 and the start of the tournament, so fatigue could be a factor. He went 13-4 in that span.

Jessica Pegula, the finalist on the women’s side last season, is also +2,000 to win the U.S. Open. She continues to be a fantastic hardcourt player (22-9 in 2025) and has three WTA titles so far. The world No. 4 seemingly has value with the seventh-shortest odds.

Daniil Medvedev (2021) and Naomi Osaka (2020, 2018) are previous U.S. Open winners competing in this year’s tournament. Medvedev is a +3,000 choice, while Osaka has +2,000 odds to win her third U.S. Open title.

Bet on the U.S. Open

US Open FAQ

Where is the U.S. Open?
The U.S. Open will be played at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.

When does the U.S. Open start?
The first round of the U.S. Open starts on Sunday, Aug. 24 and runs for three days before second-round action begins on Aug. 27.

When is the U.S. Open final?
The U.S. Open finals will take place on back-to-back days. The women’s final is set for Sept. 6, with the men’s final taking place the following day on Sept. 7.

Who won the last U.S. Open?
Sinner beat Fritz in the 2024 men’s final. He’s been to each of the three Grand Slams since, winning two of them. On the women’s side, Sabalenka beat Pegula in 2024. It marked Sabalenka’s third major victory and first outside of the Australian Open.

Who has the most U.S. Open titles of all time?
In the Open era, Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Jimmy Connors have all won five titles. On the women’s side, Serena Williams has six U.S. Open titles to her name.

Best EPL Week 2 prop picks: Target Bryan Mbeumo, Hugo Ekitike this weekend

I’ve got picks on two attackers for this weekend’s EPL action.

The pregame narrative: Hugo Ekitike has been making waves as Liverpool’s new target man up top. Look for him to continue contributing against Newcastle United on Monday. Before that, target Bryan Mbeumo for Manchester United against Fulham.

Check out my favourite EPL prop picks for Week 2 of the Premier League season.

EPL prop picks

Best bet: Ekitike over 2.5 shots (+110)

The Reds’ newest number nine is exactly what the club needed on attack.

In the Community Shield match against Crystal Palace, Ekitike scored his first goal for his new team and recorded three shots.

He followed that up by scoring a goal in his EPL debut and taking four total shots in 70 minutes of action.

His 3.94 shots per 90 ranks in the 94th percentile for attackers, per Football Reference.

In the Bundesliga last season, he went 23-10 against this wager despite only playing the full 90 minutes eight times.

At 23 years old, the French striker is improving quickly, and he’s off to a fantastic start for Liverpool.

The Reds scored four goals on Matchday 1 and should easily be one of the best offensive sides again this season.

Ekitike doesn’t need to be on the pitch a ton to top this mark. He’s yet to play more than 72 minutes in a game for Liverpool, yet he’s 2-0 on this over.

Key stat: Ekitike ranks in the 93rd percentile for shot-creating actions (3.53 per 90).

EPL betting markets

Best Matchday 2 picks

Mbeumo over 2.5 shots (+115): Out of all the new transfers Manchester United brought in, it was Mbeumo who showed the most promise.

The winger was creative on attack, attempting five shots in his debut on Matchday 1. He played all 90 minutes and looks to be a crucial part of the Red Devils’ plans moving forward.

Last year, he played more of an attacking midfielder role for Brentford and scored 20 goals, tied for fourth-most in the EPL.

Manchester United doesn’t need a midfielder, though, as they already have Bruno Fernandes, one of the best centre attacking midfielders in world football.

So more of a forward approach should be expected from Mbeumo this season, and we saw the results of that last weekend in a very difficult matchup vs. Arsenal.

Man U lost 1-0 to Arsenal but thoroughly outplayed the London club. The Red Devils attempted 22 shots, more than any other team during the opening matches.

Fulham doesn’t have the quality that Arsenal possesses, and was just outshot 10-6 by Brighton in its first game.

Expect another offensive-loaded performance from Manchester United, led by its new $71 million man.

EPL prop picks made at 5:54 p.m. on 08/21/25.

CFL Week 12 predictions, picks and best bets: Expect Roughriders to win, bet the over for Lions vs. Argonauts

The CFL season is past the halfway point, and the playoff picture is starting to take shape.

This week’s CFL narrative: The Saskatchewan Roughriders have been the CFL’s most consistent team, putting together an 8-1 record to this point. They close out the Saturday doubleheader against the Calgary Stampeders. Before that, the BC Lions will visit the Toronto Argonauts.

Check out the latest CFL Week 12 predictions for matchups beginning Thursday, Aug. 21, featuring a pick on the Edmonton Elks vs. Ottawa Redblacks game.

CFL Week 12 predictions

Best bet: Roughriders ML (-110)

Saskatchewan sits atop the CFL and has been getting better as the season progresses.

Last week, the Roughriders stifled the East-leading Hamilton Tiger Cats, 29-9. In Week 10, they beat the Montreal Alouettes, 34-6.

While most other teams are dealing with injuries at this gruelling part of the schedule, Saskatchewan is thriving.

Calgary did beat the Riders, 24-10, in Week 6, but I’d say that was a result of bad luck rather than bad play.

Saskatchewan’s quarterback Trevor Harris threw for 425 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. Vernon Adams Jr. countered with 428 yards, three TDs and two INTs for Calgary.

If you just saw those stats, you’d find it hard to believe that the Riders only scored 10 points.

They weren’t able to establish a run game, rushing for just 16 yards, but that doesn’t concern me.

That’s because the Riders have a proven rushing attack, averaging 122.4 ground yards in their other eight contests.

Calgary got the better of the matchup in Week 6, but I can’t see the league’s best defence getting outdueled again this Saturday.

Since then, the Stamps are 2-2, while Saskatchewan is 4-0 with a +57 point differential.

Key stat: The Roughriders allow the fewest points (20.2) and yards (337.1) per game in the CFL.

Full CFL betting markets

CFL best bets

Lions/Argonauts over 55.5 points (-110): With the way Nathan Rourke has been slinging it for BC, this is an appetizing line despite it being the highest of any game in Week 12.

Since returning from injury, look at Rourke’s stats over six games:

352 yards/game
13 TDs
69.7% completion rate
111.4 passer rating

During that six-game span, the Lions averaged 31.6 points, and three of the last four went over this total.

That all goes before mentioning that the Argonauts allow the most points per game in the CFL (32.0). For context, the next closest is Edmonton at 29.0 PPG.

BC isn’t a defensive juggernaut by any means, either. The side cedes 27.0 PPG, which is around the middle of the pack.

Toronto has scored 20 or more points in eight straight games (31.0 PPG over that span), so the Argos should be more than capable of contributing to this lofty total.

Elks -3 (-110): Edmonton is sneakily making a playoff push out West.

It won’t be easy, but back-to-back wins have the Elks trending in the right direction.

They beat the Montreal Alouettes in Week 10 and followed that up with an eight-point win over the Argos in Week 11.

Cody Fajardo has taken the reins as the starting QB, and the change has worked wonders so far.

In four weeks as a starter, Fajardo has recorded seven passing TDs to just two INTs.

His 115.9 passer rating would be the highest mark of his CFL career.

On the other side, the Redblacks will once again be without Dru Brown, who picked up a knee injury in Week 11 after missing three games earlier this season.

Dustin Crum will likely start for Ottawa, and the difference in career numbers between the two signal callers is quite vast.

Brown: 44 TDs, 17 INTs
Crum: 12 TDs, 16 INTs

It’s hard to trust Ottawa’s offence without its starting quarterback, and I like the momentum Edmonton has built ahead of Friday.

CFL Week 12 predictions as of 2:20 p.m. on 08/21/2025.

CFL Week 12 predictions, picks and best bets: Expect Roughriders to win, take the over for Lions vs. Argonauts