Cubs vs Dodgers Prediction, Picks, Odds

Covers

15 April 2023

Jameson Taillon's been having a tough time in Chi-Town, so when the Cubs visit a heating-up Dodgers lineup tonight, our MLB picks think they're liable to get battered around.

Photo By - USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers have had middling starts to their seasons, though both clubs come into this matchup fresh off series wins.

Los Angeles has been hot at the plate with some high-scoring wins, and will look to pounce on Jameson Taillon, who’s struggled in his first two games with Chicago.

Can Taillon get on track, or will Los Angeles’ bats stay hot? We’ll discuss that and more in our Cubs vs. Dodgers MLB picks and predictions for Saturday, April 15.

Cubs vs Dodgers odds

Cubs vs Dodgers predictions

The Cubs come into Dodger Stadium with back-to-back series wins, taking two of three games off both the Rangers and Mariners. The bats have been lively for Chicago, knocking in 5.55 runs per game — the fifth-best mark in the majors — but it’s inconsistent pitching that’s let the Cubs down early on.

Jameson Taillon, who was signed by Chicago as a free agent in the offseason, has yet to really find his groove. The right-hander was knocked for six hits and four earned runs in five innings of work against the Rangers on April 9 and has now started his Cubs career with two straight defeats.

The Dodgers also come into this matchup swinging some hot bats as they rank second in the MLB in runs per game (6.08) as well as home runs per game (1.85). Max Muncy has been leading the way of late in that regard, as he’s coming off a huge series against the Giants where he slugged five hits, four home runs, and a whopping 11 RBI in three games.

Beyond Muncy, the Dodgers boast three other batters with at least 10 RBI in Will Smith (12), Trayce Thompson (11), and James Outman (10). That’s not to mention several other hitters like J.D. Martinez, Mookie Betts, and Freddie Freeman who are still finding their rhythm.

With so much firepower and a shaky Taillon on the mound for Chicago, I foresee another strong offensive output from Los Angeles tonight.

My best bet: Dodgers Over 5.5 Runs (+125 at BetMGM)

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Cubs vs Dodgers moneyline analysis

The Dodgers opened as -152 home favorites and shifted closer to -160 at most books by Friday night. While Los Angeles has a question mark on the mound in Michael Grove, their bats undeniably give them the edge in my mind.

The Dodgers have mashed against right-handed pitching so far this season, driving in 67 runs through 14 games — second to only the Rays (69) in that regard. Los Angeles has also hit 19 homers already vs righties, ranking fourth in the majors.

Historically, the Dodgers have dominated this matchup as well, winning 10 straight meetings against the Cubs dating to June 25, 2021. Los Angeles generally runs up the score against Chicago as well, averaging 6.00 runs per game through those contests.

With the Dodgers heating up and Taillon not looking like himself just yet, I expect a similar outcome in this one.

Cubs vs Dodgers Over/Under analysis

The total for this contest opened at 9 runs and I think the Over makes the most sense tonight given what we’ve seen from both clubs in terms of offense and pitching.

Both Los Angeles and Chicago rank in the Top 5 in terms of runs per game, with their averages combining for more than 11.5. The clubs have been about middle-of-the-pack defensively but both starters have been rough so far and there’s not much reason to think that either Taillon or Grove will steady the ship against deep offensive lineups.

Head-to-head trends suggest that we could see a lower-scoring affair as the Under is 7-1-2 in the last 10 meetings at Dodger Stadium, but I ultimately think that Los Angeles’ bats will ensure we see plenty of scoring in this one.

The Over has cashed in four of the Dodgers’ last five games, with Los Angeles recording at least six runs in four of those contests and eight-plus in three of them.

Cubs vs Dodgers game info

Cubs vs Dodgers betting preview

Starting pitchers

Jameson Taillon (0-2, 7.00 ERA): The 31-year-old has had a rough go through his first two starts with the Cubs, giving up 13 hits and seven runs through two starts while failing to pitch into the sixth inning so far this season. Taillon was good for the Yankees last season with a 14-5 record and a 3.91 ERA, but we’ve yet to see the right-hander put up a solid start just yet with Chicago.

Michael Grove (0-1, 14.73 ERA): After making his MLB debut in May 2022 and giving the Dodgers a few sporadic starts throughout last season, Grove has really struggled out of the gate in his first shot as a regular in Los Angeles’ rotation. The right-hander was smashed for 12 hits and nine earned runs over just 3.1 innings against the Diamondbacks in his most recent appearance last Sunday — he’ll need to be much better moving forward or he could be on a short leash.