The Chicago Cubs have been dominant in the early part of the season, and will send one of their best pitchers to the mound on Wednesday, June 1st against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field. With a great lineup, the better starter and home field advantage, they are the easy choice as favorites to capture this contest.
You can bet on MLB odds at BookMaker.eu every day of the season.
ODDS ANALYSIS
The Cubs have the best record in Major League Baseball at 35-14 following Monday’s win over the Dodgers in the series opener. Chicago also leads the league in run-differential at plus-133 and has won six straight, so there isn’t a lot to complain about on the North Side. The offense has lived up to expectations while the pitching has exceeded projections, and the team has to be considered the World Series favorite at this point. The Dodgers are no slouch at 27-25 and have several impressive hitters in the everyday lineup, but haven’t played as well as the Cubs in 2016.
PROBABLE PITCHERS
The Cubs will send Jon Lester to the mound. He is 5-3 on the season with 2.48 ERA. While his peripheral stats don’t quite support the stellar ERA since Lester has stranded an abnormally high number of runners early, on, he is still one of the better starters in the National League. Lester is striking out 8.61 batters per nine innings while keeping his walks in check, which is a good combination. While the Dodgers boast hitters like Adrian Gonzalez, Corey Seager and Yasiel Puig, Lester can handle the lineup if he pitches well.
The Dodgers will counter with Mike Bolsinger, who is 1-1 in two starts this season with a 4.50 ERA. Bolsinger pitched well for Los Angeles in 2015 with a 6-6 record and a 3.62 ERA in 21 starts, but won’t have it easy against a potent Cubs lineup. He is a pretty good pitcher for a back-end-of-the-rotation type, and hopes to keep the Dodgers in the game by keeping the Cubs off-balance.
LIVE BETTING
The Cubs’ pitching was the catalyst for the team’s hot start, and recently the bats have caught up. Second baseman Ben Zobrist has been one of the best players in baseball through the first two months of the season, hitting .351 with seven homers and 35 RBIs on the year. The duo of Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant has combined for 22 home runs in the middle of the lineup while Dexter Fowler has been fantastic atop the order. Chicago’s lineup is very hard to navigate for opposing pitchers, and Bolsinger will have his hands full.
The Dodgers have relied more on their pitching as their offense is in the middle of the pack. A player like Puig could be important in this one against the southpaw Lester. Puig has struggled this year but has the natural talent to have an impact game. Adrian Gonzalez’s power numbers are down this season but he is a professional hitter who promises to put tough at-bats together in this one.
QUICK PICK
The Cubs hit a lull recently but have bounced right back to remain the best team in the major leagues. There is hard to find a hole on the team, and when a starting pitcher like Lester takes the ball, Chicago will be favored in the vast majority of games. That will be the case in this one as the Dodgers must either find a way to score on him or get a gem from Bolsinger to pull off the upset. Chicago is the choice to remain hot and add another tally to the win column against Los Angeles.
MLB Odds: Cubs 5, Dodgers 2
Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker sportsbook for the MLB matchup between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs on Wednesday, June 1st, 2016 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois! You can wager on sporting events as they unfold on television with BookMaker’s live betting platform. Real-time spreads, totals, props and moneyline odds are all available by clicking here so start betting with BookMaker today!
