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The LA Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs meet Tuesday in the first game of 2 of the MLB Tokyo Series at the Tokyo Dome for the 2025 MLB opener. First pitch is slated for 6:10 a.m. ET (FOX). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s MLB odds around the Dodgers vs. Cubs odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting of 2025; Cubs won 4-2 last season
For the second consecutive season, the Dodgers kick off their MLB regular season overseas. Last season, the Dodgers split a pair of games at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea, against the San Diego Padres. LA won the opener 5-2, while falling 15-11 in a wild second game. By season’s end, the Dodgers, who won the NL West at 98-64, were World Series champions after beating the New York Yankees 4-1 in a best-of-7 series.
In the Opening Day win, SS Mookie Betts and DH Shohei Ohtani each collected 2 hits and an RBI to lead the offense. Unfortunately, for the Dodgers and the watching public, Betts will mis these 2 games in Tokyo due to an illness.
The Cubs are playing overseas for the first time since June 24-25, 2023, when they split a pair of games with the rival St. Louis Cardinals at London Stadium in the United Kingdom. Chicago finished second in the NL Central last season with an 83-79 record and didn’t make the playoffs.
In 2024, Chicago opened the season stateside on the road the Texas Rangers, falling 4-3 in 10 innings on March 28, 2024. The would lose the second game 11-2 before taking the finale 9-5 to salvage the series.
Dodgers vs. Cubs projected starters
RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. LHP Shota Imanaga
Yoshinobu (7-2, 3.00 ERA) made 18 starts last year in his MLB rookie season. The 7-year Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) veteran had a 1.11 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 10.5 K/9 through 90 innings in 2024. He turned 26 years old last August.
- Allowed 5 ER, 4 H, 1 BB (1 HBP) with 2 K in 1 IP of MLB debut, a 15-11 setback to Padres March 21, 2024, in Seoul, throwing just 23 of 43 pitches for strikes
- Career vs. Cubs: 1-0, 0.00 ERA (9 IP, 0 ER), 6 H, 2 BB, 16 K, .176 opponent batting average (OBA) in 2 starts
Imanaga (15-3, 2.91 ERA) made 29 starts his MLB rookie season following an 8-year career in the NPB. The southpaw, who turned 31 last September, had a 1.02 WHIP, 1.5 BB/9 and 9.0 K/9 through 173 1/3 innings in 2024.
- March/April 2024 splits: 4-0, 0.98 ERA (27 2/3 IP, 3 ER), 2 HR, 3 BB, 28 K in 5 starts
- Career vs. Dodgers: 1-0, 2.45 ERA (11 IP, 3 ER), 9 H (3 solo HR), 0 BB, 7 K, .225 OBA in 2 starts
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Dodgers vs. Cubs odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of MLB odds. Lines last updated at 12:09 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Dodgers -150 (bet $150 to win $100) | Cubs +125 (bet $100 to win $125)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Dodgers -1.5 (+110) | Cubs +1.5 (-130)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Dodgers vs. Cubs picks and predictions
Prediction
Dodgers 4, Cubs 3
Moneyline
The DODGERS (-150) didn’t receive a very good performance from Yamamoto in his debut last season as he was shelled in his brief appearance in a start against the Padres at the Gocheok Sky Dome. However, he bounced back nicely — winning his next 5 decisions — and had a strong rookie campaign.
This time around, Yamamoto should be more even-keel, and less amped up than he was in Seoul. Plus, I’m banking on the experience of the Dodgers, as a whole, to get the job done in this international series opener.
Run line/Against the spread
Playing CUBS +1.5 (-130) isn’t a bad play if you’re a little more on the conservative side. Imanaga wasn’t fazed when facing the Dodgers last season, and this should be a well-pitched game between 2 Japanese imports.
Over/Under
UNDER 8 (-120) is the lean, but go with a half-unit play at best.
It’s generally a good idea to take a wait-and-see approach to betting MLB early in the season as it’s definitely a marathon and not a sprint. There are 161 games after this, so pump the brakes and don’t get crazy. It’s especially tough to gauge the ballpark figures and how batters and pitchers will fare in a place they don’t regularly play.
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