Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction: Will the Dodgers Complete the Sweep?
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction: Will the Dodgers Complete the Sweep?
The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs in a doubleheader on Saturday, ultimately winning the road series in Chicago. But tonight, the Dodgers can go for the sweep on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.
The Cubs are just 9-17 on the year and are starting to fall apart after a successful first couple of weeks to start the season. With the Dodgers finding their groove, can Chicago hold off Los Angeles and salvage a game in the series? Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Sunday night's game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs.
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Cubs vs. Dodgers Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: May 8, 2022
- Game Time: 7:08 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Click Here for Cubs vs Dodgers Odds
Cubs vs. Dodgers Injury Report
Cubs
Questionable: 3B Patrick Wisdom (Ankle) Out: OF Clint Frazier (Illness), SS Andrelton Simmons (Shoulder)
Dodgers
None of Importance
Cubs vs. Dodgers Total Runs Movement
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Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Prediction
The Cubs will pitch right-hander Marcus Stroman, who signed a decent-sized contract with Chicago in the off-season. So far, he hasn’t lived up to the hype with a 1-3 record and an ERA of 5.13.
Stroman’s xFIP is currently sitting at 4.24, so there’s some room for improvement. However, he’s only striking out 20.4% of batters. The right-hander still limits walks to 6.5% but is getting only 45.6% of ground balls. 45.6% isn’t all that bad but he’s usually getting more ground balls and limiting line drives. Instead, he’s giving up plenty more line drives and getting fewer ground balls.
Stroman has is giving up a .200 ISO to lefties and a .244 ISO to righties this season. The power is starting to come down from the start of the season but ultimately, Stroman is good at making a mistake here and there.
With rumors about balls being juiced on nationally televised games, those power numbers seem better and better for the Dodgers. The Dodgers have a .185 ISO against righties with the projected lineup along with a .329 wOBA. Those are good numbers for this season.
The Dodgers will send out an ace pitcher in Walker Buehler. The right-hander has been very good with a 2.12 ERA. Analytically, he’s been a bit luckier than Stroman, for example, and has a 4.45 xFIP with 21.5% of strikeouts and 5.8% of walks. But the difference in this game comes down to the lineups.
The Cubs’ lineup isn’t producing like the Dodgers’ lineup. The Cubs have an ISO of .113 with a wOBA of .297 against righties this season. Only Seiya Suzuki and Patrick Wisdom have high ISO power numbers against righties and the entire lineup is striking out nearly 26% of the time. Wisdom is currently questionable to play in the first palace. The Cubs are also hitting 47.6% ground balls and hitting under 21% of line drives.
Therefore, I can’t trust the Cubs against Buehler. Instead, I’ll trust the Dodgers against Stroman. The Dodgers should be able to score two runs in the first five innings with their power numbers.
Chicago Cubs vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Pick
- Dodgers F5 Team Total Over 1.5 (-145) (Bet $145 to Win $100)
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Article Author
Jason grew up an avid sports fan. His passion for sports writing grew in high school and he developed a blog that was strictly for New York Sports. From his work, you will quickly realize that he loves looking at games from an analytical and numbers perspective and hopes to provide you with that same perspective in his articles.