Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers: Odds, Prediction
Two of the National League’s best teams kick off a three-game weekend series Friday night at 10:10 p.m. ET. It’s the back-to-back defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers (17-8) hosting the red-hot Chicago Cubs (16-9). Despite the Dodgers’ slightly better record, the Cubs enter this series winners of nine straight, while the Dodgers enter scuffling a bit at the plate after a 3-4 road trip against two sub-.500 division rivals.
We’re here to break down this matchup in full before delivering a best bet.
L.A. is a -160 favourite to win on the MLB odds, with the total set at 9.0.
Betting Analysis
According to Statcast, from 2024 through this current moment in 2026, UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium is tied for fifth in Park Factor, with a value of 102, indicating that hitters tend to perform better here compared to other parks.
Notably, Dodger Stadium carries an MLB-high 130 HR mark during this span, which 30 per cent more home runs are observed in this stadium compared to other parks.
Chicago Cubs
Friday night marks just the fifth time in 26 games the Cubs have been priced as an underdog. Chicago is 2-2 straight up as an underdog, and the over has cleared all four times.
Veteran right-handed starting pitcher Jameson Taillon takes the ball. The 34-year-old is now in his fourth season with Chicago and has been very reliable over the past two seasons. He’s off to a so-so start this year, compiling a 3.97 ERA and 1.28 WHIP with 21 strikeouts in 22.2 innings across four starts.
This will be Taillon’s first time pitching against the Dodgers since 2023, but he has struggled against the uniform with a 5.68 career ERA in four appearances.
The Cubs have scored over seven runs per game during this nine-game win streak, and Nico Hoerner has been the engine. In addition to his usual elite defence at 2B, Hoerner has added power to his game with four home runs to go with seven doubles and seven stolen bases, proving he is worth every bit of the contract extension he was given.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Make it 26-for-26; the Dodgers have now been priced as a favourite in every game this season. LA just threw their three best and healthiest pitchers in San Francisco, but have a series loss to show for it after they combined to score one run with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani on the mound.
Emmet Sheehan takes the mound, and after a truly stellar 2025 campaign in which he pitched to a 2.82 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 12 starts, he has struggled through four starts to begin 2026. He has allowed at least two earned runs in each start, pitching to a 5.85 ERA and 1.40 WHIP.
Perhaps the Cubs’ lack of familiarity will bode well for him, while Dodger hitters look to take advantage of a combined .266 AVG and .840 OPS lifetime vs Taillon in 79 at-bats.
Ohtani, Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernandez have combined for 12 hits, including five home runs and three doubles, in 30 career at-bats against Taillon.
MLB Prediction: Who Will Win Cubs vs. Dodgers?
I expect a bit of a slugfest on Friday night featuring early fireworks from the Dodgers and some late-inning offence from the Cubs. I think Sheehan will continue to progress through his mechanical adjustments and turn in a quality outing, but a Dodger bullpen that is missing Edwin Diaz and just gave up 13 runs in 14 innings over the road trip could struggle once again.
Seeing Taillon will spark confidence and get a Dodger lineup going that leads all baseball by a landslide against RHP (.831 OPS) and ranks third in hitting at home (.791 OPS). The Cubs rank fifth in road OPS (.768) and eighth against RHP (.735 OPS), and they are certainly capable of doing damage against a left-handed dominant Dodger bullpen. The Cubs rank third in baseball against LHP (.822 OPS). I like runs in this one.
Best Bet: Over 9.5 Total Runs (-110)
