From Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, we have the Dodgers and Cubs facing off in an NL matchup. This game is set to get started at 6:10 PM ET, and MARQ will be televising it.
The money line odds have the Dodgers at -157 compared to the Cubs at +135, and the over/under line is sitting at 7.5 runs. Tonight's pitching matchup is Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers and Shota Imanaga for the Cubs.
Los Angeles vs. Chicago Matchup At A Glance
- Teams: Dodgers at Cubs
- Where: Tokyo Dome Tokyo
- Date: Tuesday, March 18th
- Betting Odds LAD -157 | CHC +135 O/U 7.5
Dodgers Preview
Coming off a World Series victory over the Yankees, the Dodgers are the favorites in today's game against the Cubs. Last season, Los Angeles went 92-52 as the favorite and 6-12 as the underdog. On the road, the Dodgers were 42-23 when favored and 4-12 as the underdog.
In the National League, the Dodgers finished in 1st place last season and had an overall record of 98-64. In the NL West, they also finished in 1st place. At home, Los Angeles went 52-29 compared to 46-35 on the road.
On the road last season, the Dodgers had an even run line record of 41-40, with an average scoring margin of +1.1 runs per game. Overall, they had an average scoring margin of +1.0 runs per contest. In games they covered the run line, their average scoring margin was +4.4 runs per game compared to -2.4 runs per game in games they did not cover the run line. Last season, they were favored in 80.2% of their road games, going 35-30 vs. the run line.
When looking at the Dodgers' over/under record from last season, they finished with a mark of 90-68. On average, their games had an over/under line of 8.6 runs, and 84% of their games had higher O/U lines than today's 7.5. Last year, their games averaged a combined 9.4 runs per contest, and in games with an O/U line of 7.5, the over/under record was 14-9.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto is coming off a season in which he made 18 starts and went 7-2. His ERA for the season was 3.00, and he finished the year with a WHIP of 1.11. Last season, he made two appearances against the Cubs and went 1-0 with an ERA of 0.00. For the season, he allowed a total of seven home runs and averaged 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. His walks per nine innings average was 2.2, and his strikeouts per walk ratio was 4.8. Overall, he made seven quality starts for the season.
Last season, the Dodgers were the top-scoring team on the road, averaging 5.4 runs per game. Overall, they were 2nd in runs per game at 5.2. Their power was on full display as they led the league in slugging percentage (.446) and were 3rd in batting average (.258). At home, they hit 233 home runs, which was 3rd in the league.
The Dodgers are hoping that Shohei Ohtani can continue his power surge from last season. Ohtani hit 54 home runs and drove in 130 runs last season. Teoscar Hernández is coming off a 33 home run season and batted .272 last year. The Dodgers added Michael Conforto to their lineup this off season. Conforto hit 20 home runs and batted .237 last season.
Cubs Preview
Despite finishing with a winning record, the Cubs missed out on the playoffs last season. They went 83-79, which put them in 9th place in the National League and 3rd in the NL Central. In the division, Chicago went 23-29.
At home, the Cubs were 44-37 compared to 39-42 on the road. In night games, they went 44-46, and their overall series record was 22-26-3. Against the Dodgers, who they face today, the Cubs went 38-41 as the underdog last season.
At home last season, the Cubs had a run line record of 31-50, compared to 47-34 on the road. Overall, they had a run line record of 78-84, with an average scoring margin of +0.4 runs per game. In games that they covered the run line, their average scoring margin was +3.6 runs per game, compared to -2.6 runs per game in games they did not cover. For the season, they were the underdog in 48.8% of their games, going 50-29 in those contests.
Last season, the Cubs' games had an average O/U line of 8.3 runs, and their O/U record was 75-81. In their games with an O/U line of 7.5, the over/under record was 18-17. Overall, 56.2% of their games finished with more runs than 7.5. On the season, their games averaged a combined 8.7 runs per game.
Coming off a season in which he made 29 starts, Shota Imanaga will be looking to build on his record of 15-3. Last season, Imanaga made two appearances against the Dodgers, going 1-0 with an ERA of 1.93. Overall, he made 19 quality starts and finished the season with an ERA of 2.91. His WHIP for the season was 1.02, and he finished the season with a FIP of 3.72. Last season, Imanaga allowed a total of 27 home runs and finished the season with a strikeouts per nine innings rate of 9.03.
At home last season, the Cubs averaged 3.9 runs per game, which was 23rd in the league. Their home batting average of .222 was 27th in the league, and they were 26th in home slugging percentage. On the road, the Cubs were much better offensively, averaging 5.1 runs per game (4th in the league). Overall, their season batting average of .242 was 11th in the league.
The Cubs are hoping that Ian Happ can continue to be one of their top power hitters this season. Last year, he hit 25 home runs and drove in 86 runs. Michael Busch is also back after hitting 21 home runs last season. Nico Hoerner led the team in hits last year, finishing with 48 RBIs and a batting average of .273. Kyle Tucker is a new addition to the team after hitting 23 home runs and batting .289 last season for the Astros.
Dodgers vs. Cubs Prediction: Cubs ML +135
Our prediction for today's Dodgers vs. Cubs game is that the Cubs will pick up a win, and with them being the underdogs, we recommend taking them on the money line at +135.
Looking at the starting lineups, we have the Dodgers finishing with no runs and no hits, while the Cubs are projected to finish with just one hit and no runs. If you're looking for a final score prediction, we have the Cubs winning by a score of 1-0.
