The Los Angeles Dodgers open up a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs tonight at Wrigley Field.
The Dodgers enter this series having been swept in their previous series against the Boston Red Sox. It was only their second time enduring a sweep this season – however the Red Sox have been an absolute wagon since the start of July, posting a 23-3 record in their last 26 games.
Los Angeles owns a 2-1 record against the Cubs this season – winning a series in late April. This series pits two of the National League’s best teams – the Cubs at 63-49 and the Dodgers at 69-43.
Justin Wrobleski is projected to start for the Dodgers. Wrobleski holds a 2.88 ERA in 112.2 innings with a WHIP 0f 1.02. The Cubs lead the league in WRC+ against lefties, but Wrobleski is very effective against right-handed hitters – holding them to a .213 batting average.
Matthew Boyd will start tonight for the Cubs. Boyd has a 3.41 ERA through 66 innings pitched this season. The Cubs’ southpaw missed extended time due to back-to-back issues with his knee and shoulder. However, he is healthy and primed to return to his 2025 form in which he held a 3.21 ERA through 179.2 innings.
Both the Dodgers and Cubs made splashes at this years’ trade deadline, as the Dodgers picked up Tigers’ ace Tarik Skubal and the Cubs nabbed Kevin Gausman.
Skubal is projected to make his appearance tomorrow afternoon, while Gausman is projected to start against his former team in the Cubs’ ensuing series.
First Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers at Chicago Cubs - Under 8 total runs
Rundown: Only Mookie Betts has an average over .250 for his career against Boyd. Betts is 6-for-18 with three RBI. Teoscar Hernandez is 4-for-16 in his career against Boyd, but the rest of the Dodgers lineup has been ineffective.
On the other hand, the Cubs lineup has a very small sample size against Wrobleski. Alex Bregman has an on-base percentage of .429 after drawing two walks and getting hit by a pitch once in seven at bats against Wrobleski.
In their lone meeting this past April, Wrobleski threw six scoreless innings against the Cubs, striking out six in the process.
Second Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 over the Chicago Cubs
Rundown: The Cubs home split is marginally better than their road split and the Dodgers are better on the road than at home this season.
Looking at their previous 10 games, neither team is on-fire right now. The Dodgers are 5-5 and the Cubs are 6-4. So, with momentum not really a consideration – picking the team that is better on-paper with better pitching is a smart decision.
Boyd threw six innings of three-run ball in his last start against the Dodgers on April 23, 2025. Wrobleski held the Cubs scoreless through six innings this past April. This will be a low-scoring pitchers’ duel and the Dodgers are more well- suited to win.