The Los Angeles Dodgers will seek to take the second of two games from the Chicago Cubs to open the MLB season on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 3:10 a.m. PT. Los Angeles won the first matchup on Tuesday, 4-1.
The two-game set at the Tokyo Dome has been a featured homecoming for several Japanese stars, with Shohei Ohtani as the primary attraction. He had two hits, including a double and two runs scored in the Dodgers’ first win of the new season.
In a marquee duel between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shota Imanaga, Yamamoto came away with the win, and Imanaga worked four hitless innings, although he did walk four batters. On Wednesday, Rōki Sasaki, the prized pickup of the offseason for the Dodgers, will make his MLB debut against Chicago’s Justin Steele.
We highlight the best-recommended wagers for Game Two of the Tokyo Series.
Dodgers vs. Cubs predictions and best bets
Note: Odds are based on the best value our experts find as of publication; check lines closer to game time to ensure you get the best odds.
If the series opener was any indication of what to expect in Game Two, runs won’t be plentiful. The Tokyo Dome is known as a hitter’s park, but Chicago only managed three hits, and L.A. didn’t register a hit in the first four innings of the first game. The ballpark is known as “Home Run Heaven”, but we did not see a single long ball on Tuesday.
The starting pitchers certainly seemed to overmatch the hitters, although either one didn’t last very long. Imanaga is an extreme flyball pitcher, yet he kept the ball in the yard. This will be Chicago’s first-ever look at Sasaki, a factor that can give the 23-year-old an additional edge.
L.A. pitchers totaled nine strikeouts in the opener. In seven spring training innings, Sasaki registered seven strikeouts. He did not allow a run, and we should see some of the reasons why he was such a highly sought-after acquisition in the offseason. The race for his rights was a top Hot Stove storyline.
Yahoo Sports highlighted that in his first spring game, the two-time Nippon Professional Baseball All-Star averaged 98 mph on 25 four-seam fastballs while topping out at 99.3 mph, per Baseball Savant. His splitter and slider also looked potent in spring training. Sasaki is a standout who once struck out 19 batters in a single NPB game.
Behind their newest high-profile starter, the Dodgers will have a good shot to begin a season of incredibly high expectations with a 2-0 record. Steele will be the second left-handed starter that L.A. will see, but once it got into the Cubs bullpen, the Dodgers rang up all of their seven hits from the fifth inning forward on Tuesday.
This spring, in 8.2 innings of work, Steele allowed nine runs on 14 hits. In his final appearance in Arizona, he surrendered seven runs on 10 hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Sasaki can do his part in this game not reaching the Over, while Los Angeles might do just enough damage against Steele to help you cash on the spread.
Dodgers vs. Cubs moneyline odds analysis
Why Los Angeles could win as the favorite
Best odds: -155 at bet365
Tommy Edman drove in the Dodgers’ first run of the season on Tuesday with an RBI single. Last September, he logged consecutive games with two HRs against Chicago. In 2024, Edman hit .462 in 13 at-bats against the Cubs, with four of his six HRs for the season.
Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez also had RBI singles on Tuesday. Michael Conforto seems to be seeing the ball well. He homered on Saturday in an exhibition game at the Tokyo Dome, and on Tuesday, he nearly hit an HR, but the ball went foul. He did supply one of Los Angeles’ two doubles, with Ohtani hitting the other.
The L.A. bullpen worked four hitless innings on Tuesday, recording five strikeouts. While Mookie Betts (illness) is not available for this series, and Freddie Freeman (ribs) was scratched on Tuesday and is uncertain for Wednesday, the Dodgers can ride their pitching to the second win of the season. The offense still produced enough runs in the opener after a slow start against Imanaga.
Why Chicago could win as the underdog
Best odds: +130 at Caesars Sportsbook
After hitting .524 in spring training, Miguel Amaya drove in the season’s first run with an RBI double in the second inning on Tuesday. Jon Berti, starting at second base for Nico Hoerner (recovering from forearm surgery), stole the first base of the 2025 season. The former Yankee and Marlin posted a .444 OBP in the spring.
Michael Busch Is coming off a strong run in Arizona. In 11 spring games, he hit .452 with two doubles, one triple, one home run, and 11 RBI. Pete Crow-Armstrong batted .519 with 11 RBI in 10 spring games. He showed frustration in three hitless at-bats in the opener, yet he is a breakout candidate for 2025.
Ian Happ hit a career-high 25 home runs last season. He singled and walked on Tuesday. Kyle Tucker was the prime offseason acquisition for the Cubs. Five projection systems on Fangraphs predict that he will hit 29-plus home runs in his first season with Chicago.
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