We are almost now at the halfway point of the 2018 season, and it’s fair to say that the pre-season MLB Odds favorites are not having it all their own way. Of course, it is much too early to describe their seasons as a bust, as we have seen that things can change dramatically in the second half, especially after the big guns go shopping at the trade deadline. In the National League, the Chicago Cubs and LA Dodgers were both considered favorites to get to and win a World Series this year, and while neither of them is sitting atop their respective divisions, neither of them is that far off the pace.
The Chicago Cubs are 2 ½ games back of the Milwaukee Brewers in the Central, while the MLB Lines favorite Los Angeles Dodgers are the same number of games back of the Arizona Cardinals over in the West. Make no mistake about it, these two are probably going to be around the playoff picture at the end of this season, so we should be in for a good match-up here.
The Dodgers have clawed their way back into the playoff race but are still just a single game above .500 in their own building. This is a team that we would expect to be active at the trade deadline, as they look to make a run in the second half. Alex Wood (3-5, 4.13 ERA) will be the man on the mound for the Dodgers.
MLB Odds & Expert Prediction for Dodgers vs Cubs
.@javy23baez deserves to be an All-Star.
Let’s make him one: https://t.co/gdRdxZuUXL #VoteEverybodyIn pic.twitter.com/7WXmpkg62X — Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) 27 de junio de 2018
- When: Wednesday, June 27 at 10 PM EST
- Where: Dodgers Stadium, LA
- Starting Pitchers: Kyle Hendricks vs Alex Wood
- TV: ESPN
- Radio: TuneIn
- Live Stream: MLB.tv
- MLB Odds: Los Angeles Dodgers -130 (Over/Under at 7.5)
Recent Head to Head (Last 10 Games)
- Runs: Chicago Cubs 2.70 / Los Angeles Dodgers 3.90
- Hits: Chicago Cubs 7.40 / Los Angeles Dodgers 7.40
- Walks: Chicago Cubs 2.40 / Los Angeles Dodgers 5.20
- Strikeouts: Chicago Cubs 9.90 / Los Angeles Dodgers 7.70
Why bet on the Chicago Cubs?
The Cubs biggest problem this season has been that they have just not been able to play consistently well for an extended period of time. They are in one of their slumps right now, winning just 3 of their last 10 games. While they have not been particularly great on the road this season, they are still a couple of games over .500 away from home. The results may not be going the way the Cubs would want right now, but if you take a look at their offensive and defensive stats, you get the definite sense that they are eventually going to come good. The Cubs are first in on-base percentage and are top 10 in runs scored, while their pitching staff is sitting at 3rd in team ERA. The Cubs have an 8-6 record when playing teams from the West. It will be Kyle Hendricks (5-7, 3.73 ERA) who will start this one.Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.79
- Hits: 9.01
- Walks: 3.87
- Strikeouts: 8.55
- Runs: 3.69
- Hits: 7.36
- Walks: 4.31
- Strikeouts: 8.49
Why bet on the LA Dodgers?
The Dodgers saw their 2018 season get off to an absolutely horrible start, but they have now righted the ship and are just 2 ½ games out of the lead in the West. The Dodgers have actually played the Cubs 5 times over the last week and are 2-3 in those meetings. This probably shouldn’t come as a huge surprise when you consider that LA is just 4-8 this season when playing teams from the Central Division.
The Dodgers have clawed their way back into the playoff race but are still just a single game above .500 in their own building. This is a team that we would expect to be active at the trade deadline, as they look to make a run in the second half. Alex Wood (3-5, 4.13 ERA) will be the man on the mound for the Dodgers.
Team Stats
Offense- Runs: 4.69
- Hits: 8.13
- Walks: 3.78
- Strikeouts: 8.45
- Runs: 3.96
- Hits: 8.26
- Walks: 2.97
- Strikeouts: 9.47
Latest MLB Betting Trends
- Cubs are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games
- Cubs are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs’s last 5 games
- Dodgers are 2-4 ATS in their last 6 games
- Dodgers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 9 of LA Dodgers’s last 12 games
- Hendricks is 3-3 when starting against LA Dodgers with an ERA of 2.63 and a WHIP of 0.797
- Wood is 1-3 when starting against Chicago Cubs with an ERA of 3.64 and a WHIP of 1.449
