Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs Tokyo Series: Odds, Predictions & Key Insights | March 18, 2025
Written by: Colby Marchio
Published: Mon Mar 17, 2025, 5:07 pm ET
Read Time: 4 minutes
mlb
Baseball is back—well, sort of. This is MLB's fake Opening Day, with the real one coming on March 27. Think of it as a sampler before the main course next Thursday.
Keep it light, keep it healthy during the Tokyo Series. Baseball is a marathon—it is long, it is grueling, but damn, is it fun!
Go all out next Thursday, but if you need some early action, I have a play worth sweating at five in the morning.
Write Up Transparency
Be sure to follow me on X/Twitter @C_marchio2 to get my full card every day! Check my Action profile on the Action app @cmarchio. Picks are always FREE.
2023 MLB Results: +96 Units
2024 MLB Results: +13.71 Units
Everything is tracked on my Action.
Tokyo Series: Dodgers vs Cubs Odds
Will the Dodgers' bats heat up on Tuesday morning?
BetOdds are courtesy of BetOnline, a longtime fixture among the top online sports betting sites. Check out our BetOnline sportsbook review, then bag a big bonus (100% if your first deposit is with Bitcoin, Ethereum, or another cryptocurrency) to bet on College Basketball games.
Runline
Dodgers: -1.5 (+108)
Cubs: +1.5 (-128)
Total
Over: 8 (-102)
Under: 8 (-118)
Moneyline
Dodgers: -155
Cubs: +142
Dodgers vs Cubs Best Bet
A little same-game parlay to kick off the MLB season: Teoscar Hernández to record a hit and the Dodgers to cover -0.5 in the first five innings.
Teoscar Hernández
Hernández enters this matchup as the top-rated hitter on Batters-Box.com, boasting an elite rating against left-hander Shota Imanaga. Lifetime against lefties, he owns a .278 batting average and an .894 OPS, with 128 extra-base hits and 64 home runs. In 22 elite-rated road matchups, Hernández has recorded a hit 72.73% of the time and a home run 27.27% of the time. For those who love hits, runs, and RBI props, he has also crosses the plate in 68.18% of those games.
Dodgers F5 (-0.5)
Imanaga has a low ground ball rate, and the Dodgers lineup features no hitters above the league-average ground ball rate. In 2024, Imanaga struggled on the road, posting a 3.14 ERA, a .242 opponent batting average, and allowing 2.4 runs per start. While the Dodgers may not have the best average hitter matchup rating, it is still significantly better than the Cubs.
Meanwhile, Yoshinobu Yamamoto has an elite pitcher rating on Batters-Box.com and should keep the Cubs offense in check while the Dodgers generate early runs. He has strong trends and will face a Chicago lineup that lacks an elite-rated hitter while featuring seven batters above the league-average strikeout and ground ball rates.
With this being the first game of the season, keep it light and fun. The data is still developing, but confidence in this play is high despite the early-season uncertainty.
Cheers to another amazing season of baseball!
Sprinkle: Teoscar Hernandez Home Run (+390)
Best Bet: Dodgers F5 (-0.5) + Teoscar Hernandez 1+ Hit (+140)
Interested in More Content
Follow me on X @C_marchio2 for all of my picks and sports opinions!
Be sure to check out all things Betting News on X and Twitch!
While you are at it go get some merch at our Betting News Store!
In need of a sportsbook? Check out one of our favorites below and sign-up for a bonus!
Check Out All of Our Resources at Betting News
Former D1 (club) baseball player, Colby has been betting since his college days at DePaul, where he had to endure the worst collegiate basketball the Big East has ever seen. He is an advanced analytics nerd and has never seen an underdog he has not liked. Hot. Corn. Bull. It does not matter the dog he loves them all.
This site contains commercial content. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Betting News makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event.
