Helping to close out today’s packed MLB slate, the Chicago Cubs will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both sides enter with a 17-9 record on the season. The Cubs picked up a 6-4 win in the series opener between these two sides, and the two teams will hand the ball to Colin Rea and Roki Sasaki for tonight’s matchup.

The Dodgers hold +148 odds on the -1.5 run line on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cubs hold +109 odds of winning outright with the run total set at 9.5.

Cubs vs. Dodgers prediction, preview

It has been a strong start to the season for the Chicago Cubs, who are tied for the top spot in the NL Central with a 17-9 record. They have been on a tear lately, entering this matchup on a 10-game win streak. Chicago is 14-12 to the run line, and the run total is 16-10 to the over/under.

Colin Rea will be making his third start of the season and pitching in his sixth game of the year. He enters with a 3-0 record, a 3.00 ERA, 1.042 WHIP, 20 strikeouts, and 20 hits tallied across 24.0 innings pitched. Rea has faced off with this Dodgers offense in 55 at-bats in his career, which have resulted in middling results. Los Angeles has tallied 16 hits against him, including five home runs, and is posting slash lines of .291/.350/.618 with a .968 OPS.

The Cubs have been impressive at the plate this year. They rank third in the MLB in total hits, third in runs, fifth in home runs, 15th in strikeouts, and third in OPS. Nico Hoerner headlines the production with a team-high 22 hits, four home runs, and 23 RBIs. Dansby Swanson is not far behind with 18 hits, six home runs, and 21 RBIs, while Ian Happ has a team-high seven home runs. Alex Bregman, Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Carson Kelly have also shown encouraging flashes.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are looking to defend their back-to-back World Series titles and have gotten off to a relatively strong start. They sit a half-game back of the Padres with a 17-9 record on the season. Los Angeles got off to a 15-4 start to the season, but has lost five of their last seven. This year, the Dodgers have gone 13-13 to the run line, and the run total has remained under in 14 of their 26 games.

Roki Sasaki will take the ball for the Dodgers, but has had a bit of a rough start to the season. The 24-year-old will be making his fifth start of the season and enters with a 6.11 ERA, a 1.868 WHIP, and has struck out 17 batters and allowed 21 hits across 17.2 innings pitched. Sasaki has not escaped a start without allowing at least one earned run yet this year. He has faced off with this Cubs lineup in 22 at-bats in his career and given up just four hits. Chicago is posting slash lines of .182/.333/.318 with a .652 OPS.

The Dodgers also rank right near the top of most notable offensive metrics. Los Angeles ranks second in the MLB in hits, fourth in runs, first in home runs, and leads the league in OPS. Andy Pages has a team-high 31 hits, along with five home runs and 21 RBIs. Will Smith and Freddie Freeman each add three home runs and 14 RBI of their own. Shohei Ohtani is up to 23 hits, five home runs, and 11 RBI, while Kyle Tucker, Max Muncy and Freeman each also strike fear into opposing pitchers.

Cubs vs. Dodgers pick, best bet

The Cubs have been red-hot and look capable of beating anyone right now. But they will face a stiff task against the two-time champions, even if the Dodgers have been on a bit of a skid. My lean is toward Chicago extending its winning streak and backing the +109 odds on the moneyline on DraftKings Sportsbook.

However, my best bet for this game is for the run total to go over the 9.5 line. Both these teams can score runs among the best rate in the league, and each of these pitchers has some points of concern.

Sasaki has allowed 1, 6, 2, and 3 earned runs across his four starts while failing to pitch past the fifth inning. Los Angeles’ bullpen has not been good either, as it is posting a collective 4.27 ERA and 1.26 WHIP to start the season. Facing a Cubs’ lineup that has scored six or more runs in each of their last four games and averaging 7.2 runs per game across the winning streak, this is a concern.

On the other side of the matchup, it has been a strong start to the season for Colin Rea. But he has pitched a bit above his head to start the season, as the 35-year-old has a career 4.36 ERA and has never finished a season with this number below 3.95. It is also a concern that five of his 16 hits allowed to this Dodgers lineup have been home runs. Rea has allowed at least one earned run in every game he has started, and this will be the most dangerous lineup he has faced. Los Angeles has already tallied 10+ runs in four games this season by themselves.

The run total finished at 10 in the 6-4 game yesterday, even while both lineups struggled, and there was a more favorable pitching matchup. Expect both lineups to do some damage tonight and for the run total to soar past the 9.5 run line.

Best bet: Run Line Over 9.5 (-102)

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