The Toronto Blue Jays kick off a six-game road trip leading into the All-Star break on Monday.
The pregame narrative: Toronto is the hottest team in baseball, full stop. The Blue Jays (52-38) have won eight straight games and are favoured to extend that streak against the lowly Chicago White Sox (30-60), who have the worst record in the AL.
Check out my Blue Jays picks vs. White Sox for July 7, featuring George Springer and Alejandro Kirk.
Blue Jays picks vs. White Sox
Best Bet: Springer to score (-129)
Where would the Blue Jays be without Springer? Certainly not on an eight-game winning streak, that’s for sure.
The veteran outfielder has been on a rampage over his last 15 games:
- .439/.429/.754 slash line
- Six home runs
- 16 runs scored
Most of that damage was done over his last six outings. Springer posted a .517 OBP, scoring nine runs — five of which he put over the wall himself.
Springer has clearly found something in his 12th season at the plate that’s sustainable, and I want to back him in a plus matchup against Chicago’s Sean Burke.
The righty ranks in the 30th percentile or lower in xERA, xBA, K rate, barrel rate, and walk rate.
He puts a ton of runners on board, and Springer will have a bounty of opportunities as the No. 2 hitter on the road.
Key stat: Springer is slashing .300/.386/.533 against RHP this season.
Quick pick
Kirk 1+ RBI (+175): In a perfect world, Springer gets on base and Kirk drives him home.
Kirk is batting sixth in Toronto’s lineup, behind the likes of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Springer, Bo Bichette and Addison Barger.
That’s prime RBI territory considering the team is averaging 6.31 runs per game over the last two weeks (second-most in MLB).
Kirk is a pure hitter, batting .314 against LHP and .296 against RHP. He’s on a bit of a cold spell right now, but Burke doesn’t miss many bats or generate ground balls, which I like to see.
The catcher is batting .313 with RISP this season.
Blue Jays picks were made at 9:17 a.m. ET on 07/07/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.