Cubs vs. Dodgers Prediction and Odds for Thursday, July 7 (LA Smells Blood in the Water)
By Josh Yourish
The Cubs and the Dodgers prepare for a four-game set at Dodger Stadium with Game 1 featuring Mark Leiter Jr. on the mound for Chicago and Tony Gonsolin getting the nod for Los Angeles.
LA has finally passed the Mets for the best record in the National League at 52-29. Chicago, meanwhile, is now third in the NL Central at 34-48.
Odds are available at WynnBET Sportsbook
Cubs vs. Dodgers Odds, Run Line and Total
Run Line
- Cubs +1.5 (+115)
- Dodgers -1.5 (-140)
Moneyline
- Cubs +240
- Dodgers -270
Total
- 8.5 (Over -105 / Under -105)
Cubs vs. Dodgers Prediction and Pick
Don’t look now, but the Cubs are hot. They have won seven of 10 and jumped Pittsburgh for sole possession of third in the division. Over that stretch of 10 games, they outscored their opponents by 16 runs and had a team ERA of 3.39. This might be the best stretch of baseball they've played all year.
Patrick Wisdom is a big reason why, with three homers and eight RBI over his last ten games. His OPS in the past week is over 1.000 and he even has three stolen bases. He is arguably the hottest hitter in baseball and has led this Cubs team to back-to-back series victories over Boston and Milwaukee.
The only problem for Chicago is Los Angeles isn’t just hot, they are actually good. They are also 7-3 over the stretch with a better team ERA. Justin Turner has been just as good as Wisdom with a 1.472 OPS this past week.
Tony Gonsolin is a much better pitcher than Mark Leiter Jr. Gonsolin is 10-0 with a 1.54 ERA. If he went deeper into games he would be right there with Sandy Alcantara as the Cy Young favorite in the NL. Instead he has the fourth best odds for the award.
The most important point is that LA smells blood in the water. San Francisco has tumbled down to around .500 and San Diego has lost eight of their last 10. The Dodgers had won the NL West eight years in a row, prior to the Giants claiming the throne a year ago. They know how to step on the rest of the division’s collective throats when they are down. Now is that time of year when LA goes on a run, and expect them to start strong tonight.
Pick: Dodgers -1.5 (-140)
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