It will be a National League showdown in the Windy City Thursday as the Los Angeles Dodgers (9-10) take on the Chicago Cubs (11-6) in the first of a four-game series. This game will be played at Wrigley Field with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 pm ET.
The Cubs are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -120 to win, while the Dodgers’ moneyline sits at +102. The runline features Los Angeles +1.5 (-170), and the over/under for total runs is 10.5.
Dodgers Trying To Snap Series Losing Streak
Coming into this one, the Dodgers have lost back-to-back series and will look to improve their road record, which sits at 3-4. One of those two series losses was against the Cubs, who took two of three in Los Angeles a week ago. Now, they will look to repay the favor as they head to Chicago.
On the mound for the Dodgers Thursday will be 26-year-old righty Michael Grove. In three games, he is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, and he has 14 strikeouts in 13 innings. He last pitched against the Cubs, where he gave up just one run in 5.2 innings pitched and struck out six.
After Miguel Rojas was put on the injured list, the Dodgers are starting to have significant concerns about the shortstop position. Between the injury to Gavin Lux in the preseason and the injury to Rojas, they are searching for options. There has even been some murmur that Mookie Betts may get some starts to try to smooth things out for the Dodgers.
Speaking of Betts, he is currently hitting .266/.390/.453 with two home runs and six runs batted in. The best hitter for the Dodgers thus far has been Max Muncy, who has a team-high seven home runs and 15 runs batted in.
Cubs Out To Fast Start
The Cubs have just the third-best odds of winning the NL Central at +700, but they certainly aren’t playing that way thus far. At 11-6, the Cubs are in second play in the division and trail the Brewers by just two games.
Chicago is 7-3 in their last 10 starts, and they are 5-4 at Wrigley Field thus far this year.
Jameson Taillon is still looking for his first win in a Cub uniform. In three starts, he is 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and has 16 strikeouts in 14 innings. He pitched well against the Dodgers in a no-decision last time out, going five scoreless innings and striking out seven.
Offensively, Patrick Wisdom is off to an incredible start. He is hitting .279/.343/.754 with a team-leading eight home runs and 15 runs batted in. Former Dodger Cody Bellinger has also been hitting well as he has a slash line of .284/.347/.463 with three home runs and 12 runs batted in.
As a team, the Cubs rank fourth in scoring, averaging 5.44 runs per game (4.78 at home).
Take The Dodgers To Win
This one is a tough one to call. Neither of the two starters have pitched exceptionally well, and the Cubs have been much better on the road than at home.
While Los Angeles is 4-8 in their last 12 games, they are 11-2 in their last 13 games against the Cubs stemming back to last year.
With no clear edge, this one is mostly about value. While they have gotten off to a slow start, it is just a matter of time until Los Angeles breaks through and starts winning games. With a moneyline of +102, there is a lot of value in taking a chance on this being the game that gets things started for the Dodgers.
