The Chicago Cubs (10-7) and Los Angeles Dodgers (11-5) are set to play their series finale at Dodger Stadium on Sunday Night baseball. First pitch from Dodger Stadium is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. ET, and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The third edition of Sunday Night Baseball for the 2025 MLB season should be a great one as the Cubs and Dodgers will play the rubber match of their three-game series at Chavez Ravine.
Collin Rea will make his first start of the season for the Cubs, having allowed no runs in his first three relief appearances. Tyler Glasnow will start for the Dodgers and will be looking to bounce back after a rough outing last Sunday against the Phillies.
I break down Cubs-Dodgers in my Sunday Night Baseball preview below and offer my Cubs vs Dodgers prediction. You can also find the latest MLB lines, odds, probable pitcher breakdown, betting trends and more.
Cubs vs Dodgers Predictions
- Cubs vs Dodgers pick: Dodgers Over 2.5 Total Runs in First Five Innings -135 (Play to -145)
My Cubs vs Dodgers best bet is on the Dodgers to score over 2.5 runs in the first five innings (F5). Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Cubs vs Dodgers Odds
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -105 | 8.5 -120o / +100u | +192 |
| Dodgers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Run Line | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -115 | 8.5 -120o / +100u | -235 |
Cubs vs Dodgers Projected Starting Pitchers
| RHP Colin Rea (CHC) | Stat | RHP Tyler Glasnow (LAD) |
|---|---|---|
| 0-0 | W-L | 1-0 |
| 0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | 0.1 |
| 0.00 / 7.64 | ERA /xERA | 6.43 / 4.36 |
| 2.23 / 4.40 | FIP / xFIP | 3.55 / 4.58 |
| 0.94 | WHIP | 1.71 |
| 10% | K-BB% | 6.1% |
| 33.3% | GB% | 53.3% |
| 96 | Stuff+ | 100 |
| 103 | Location+ | 77 |
Cubs vs Dodgers Preview & Prediction
Cubs Betting Preview: Rough Spot for Rea
Rea is expected to make his first start with Chicago after making the 26-man roster as a long reliever. He was one of baseball's biggest surprises early last season, posting a 3.77 ERA in the first half before regressing with a 5.17 second-half ERA.
While he's off to a strong start where it counts, with a 0.00 ERA in his first 5 1/3 innings of relief work, his underlying results remain unconvincing. He holds an xERA of 7.54 and a K-BB% of 10%.
As a starter last season, Rea posted a 4.61 ERA across 148 1/3 innings. Opponents slugged .466 against him in his starts and hit .261.
He struggled mightily when facing the order for a third time in 2024, allowing a 6.03 ERA, but he may only be asked to face the Dodgers lineup twice in this matchup, if possible.
Rea holds a Stuff+ rating of 95 over the last two seasons and a Pitching+ rating of 106. His average fastball velocity of 92.5 mph ranked in the 26th percentile last season.
The Cubs' bullpen is expected to be a strength this season but has gotten off to a modest start with a 4.53 ERA.
However, the bullpen is in good shape after working only six innings in the first two games of this series, following an off day on Thursday.
Dodgers Betting Preview: Healthy Bats
With Freddie Freeman's return to the lineup in Friday’s series opener, the Dodgers now have no position players on the IL, and manager Dave Roberts will be able to field his top lineup unless he opts to rest any starters.
While the Dodgers are off to a solid start offensively — with an offensive wRC+ of 111 — they have not yet been as dominant as expected heading into the season.
Aside from Freeman, who has played in just five games, the superstars at the top of the Dodgers' lineup have performed as expected so far, but production further down the lineup has been an issue.
Shohei Ohtani has slugged .541 across his first 61 at-bats. Mookie Betts hasn’t missed a beat despite reportedly losing over 15 pounds due to an illness entering the year, holding an OPS of .865. Teoscar Hernandez has rewarded the team with a .928 OPS after signing a hefty new contract during the offseason.
The Dodgers finished the 2024 season with a second-best wRC+ (117) against right-handed pitching and the third-best BB/K ratio.
Cubs vs Dodgers Prediction, Betting Analysis
Despite his spotless ERA, Rea has not provided much reason to believe he is a different pitcher than the one who struggled mightily in the second half of last season and posted poor overall results as a starter.
Given the state of the Cubs' bullpen, Rea likely won't be pushed too deep into this start.
The Dodgers will have an excellent chance to put up some early runs while Rea is still in the game, especially as they look to bounce back from last night’s 16-0 loss.
I’ll be keeping an eye out for confirmation of the Dodgers' starting lineup, but assuming they start most of their stars, -135 looks like a great price to back L.A. to do some damage offensively early on in this favorable matchup.
Pick: Dodgers Over 2.5 Runs First Five Innings -135 (DraftKings)
Moneyline
Backing the Dodgers at -260 would be my choice if I were to bet on a side, but backing them to do damage early on seems more appealing to me than laying such a large number.
Run Line (Spread)
Betting the Dodgers to cover the run line at -130 would be my favorite bet in terms of a side or total.
Over/Under
A total of 8.5 appears to be fair in this matchup.
