The Dodgers and Cubs kickoff off their championship series tonight with Kenta Maeda (16-11, 3.48 ERA) taking the ball for LA and Jon Lester (19-5, 2.44 ERA) handling pitching Duties for the North Siders. Chicago was swept in three games the last time they faced Dem Bums in the playoffs way back in 2008 so the Cubs will more than likely be out for blood.
- The Dodgers are 4-11 in their last 15 games in the playoffs on the road.
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of the Cubs' last 11 games.
- The Cubs are 7-1 on the moneyline and 6-2 on the runline in their last 8 games at home.
On paper, the Cubs are much better than the Dodgers. On the field, they are also much better than the Dodgers. As we all know, anything can happen in a baseball series but the Cubs are basically a lock to win the pennant and book a trip to the World Series. They can get the train rolling in the right direction tonight with a win that would be their 13th in Lester’s last 15 starts.
Lester has owned the Dodgers over the course of his career and has actually never given up a home run to a player currently wearing Dodgers’ blue. He started two games against LA in which he posted a stingy 0.60 ERA and earned one of his two 2016 complete games.
Japanese transfer Kenta Maeda had an excellent season as a 28-year-old rookie but got banged up for five runs in just 2.2 innings of work in his first ever MLB postseason start. This will be the Cubs’ first time facing Maeda as he did not get a start against them this year. Teams had a tough time getting to him when he was first introduced to the league so it could take a couple runs through the batting order before the Cubs are able to figure out the Dodgers' rook.
Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
The Chicago Cubs bring a 106-59 record to the battle against the 94-73 Dodgers. Stay Informed: follow us on Twitter for odds specials, betting line moves and Chicago vs Los Angeles injuries news.
This game puts the Chicago Cubs, most recently No. 1 in Odds Shark MLB Power Rankings, up against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who rate a No. 7 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
At the plate, Chicago owns the No. 18 ranking for hits at 8.64 per game. By contrast, the Los Angeles Dodgers are rated No. 22 in the same category at 8.45 per game.
Comparing defensive stats, Los Angeles owns the No. 15-rated road mark, allowing 4.62 runs per game on the highway. Chicago, on the other hand, rates No. 7 in scoring at home.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
Los Angeles rolled to a 4-3 win against Washington on Thursday, as R Hill and the Dodgers' bats led the team to victory at Nationals Park.
The Cubs struck out early and often against M Moore in their last game, but still managed to come out ahead on the scoreboard, striking out 10 times in a 6-5 win over San Francisco on Tuesday at AT&T Park.
- LA Dodgers is 1-7 ATS in its last 8 games
- The total has gone OVER in 7 of LA Dodgers's last 10 games
- LA Dodgers is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games on the road
- LA Dodgers is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games on the road
- Chi Cubs is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
- Chi Cubs is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 8 of Chi Cubs's last 11 games
- Chi Cubs is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games at home
Next Betting Matchups
Los Angeles at Chicago, Sunday, October 16th
