The Los Angeles Dodgers (7-6, 4-2 home) open up a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs (6-5, 1-1 away) after capping off a seven-game roadstand on Wednesday. Los Angeles and Chicago will play each other a total of seven times over the next ten days.
Friday’s first pitch is at 10:10 p.m. EST inside Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is the betting favorite (-170 moneyline), and the over/under total is 8.5 runs.
What to Know – Chicago Cubs
Chicago is on the road for just the second time this season and the third game overall. The Cubs went 4-2 over the last two series at home, taking two of three against both the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners.
The expected starting pitcher for the Cubs is left-hander Justin Steele (1-0, 0.75 ERA, 1.00 WHIP). Steele has been superb in his first two trips to the mound, allowing only one earned run over 12.0 innings on seven hits, five walks, and 11 strikeouts.
On offense, Chicago sits third in the majors batting .280 as a team and scoring 5.5 runs per game. The Cubs have plated ten or more runs in three of the first 11 contests.
A pair of offseason additions, Trey Mancini and Cody Bellinger, led the Cubs in runs batted in production with nine RBIs apiece. Dansby Swanson, another offseason acquisition, is hitting .400 (16-of-40) over ten games.
What to Know – Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have been up and down during the first two weeks of play but remain near the top of the NL West standings. Los Angeles took two of three from the San Francisco Giants to begin the week, scoring nine and ten runs in the two victories.
Right-hander Noah Syndergaard (0-1, 6.30 ERA, 1.20 WHIP) gets the ball for the hosts. The veteran pitcher, in his first season with the Dodgers, hopes to notch his first victory of the season Friday night.
Through two starts, the 30-year-old has surrendered seven earned runs on 12 hits with no walks and eight strikeouts over 10.0 innings.
Los Angeles ranks in the middle of the pack in the MLB in team batting average, hitting .248, but ranks second in runs scored with 79 over 13 contests. The Dodgers are scoring 6.1 runs per game.
Max Muncy (14 RBIs), Will Smith (12 RBIs), and rookie James Outman (10 RBIs) account for nearly 50% of the Dodgers’ run production. Muncy leads the team with five home runs, while Freddie Freeman sports a .353 batting average and .450 on-base percentage.
The Pick is In
Steele has been one of the best pitchers in the majors through two starts; expect the lefty to back it up Friday night with another solid showing against one of the top offenses in the majors. Syndergaard, who’s battled injuries over the last three seasons, just doesn’t have the stuff he had in his early days.
Chicago with Steele on the mound is a value play here and too good to pass up.
The Pick: Chicago Cubs ML
