Cubs vs. Dodgers Predictions, Picks, Odds & Starting Pitchers: Today, 4/12
Despite being the matchup that started the entire 2025 MLB season out in Japan, the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers have wasted no time in getting another series started against one another. It’s not quite their Sunday Night Baseball clash yet, but we’ve got our top Cubs vs. Dodgers predictions for tonight’s game.
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Cubs vs. Dodgers Predictions For MLB On MLB Network, 4/12
As expected with Yoshinobu Yamamoto on the mound last night, the Dodgers came away with the series-opening victory, and they did so in shutout fashion. In fact, they allowed just two total hits, but hopefully you followed us for last night’s best bet.
One of those two hits came from Kyle Tucker, and it was a double, instantly cashing our pick on over 1.5 total bases. LA is favored nearly just as much tonight with a different Japanese starter on the mound - Roki Sasaki. While he’s a fellow countryman, his start in the states hasn’t been nearly as strong, so we’d give the Cubs a far greater chance to win tonight’s game.
However, we’re still going to stick with the player prop markets for the best bet from our Cubs vs. Dodgers predictions after that approach came through for us last night.
Chicago Cubs: Early Extension For Kyle Tucker
Speaking of that last note, it’s only fitting that the biggest story coming out of Chicago right now is the potential of the team already looking to extend Kyle Tucker. Following the recent news of Vlad Guerrero Jr, Tucker is now projected to earn somewhere in the ballpark of $500 to $550 million if he were to hit free agency after his year with the Cubs.
The former Houston Astro is off to as good of a start as his new team could have hoped for, which should come as no surprise from a three-time All-Star. This is already becoming such a reality that Tucker has been asked about the extension, but in typical fashion that you’d expect from a pro athlete, he said that he wasn’t thinking about that right now.
Los Angeles Dodgers: Roki Sasaki’s Slow Start
As mentioned, it’s one of the other Japanese starters on the Dodgers headed to the bump tonight, and again, we don’t expect nearly as dominant of a performance as we saw last night. Roki Sasaki was this year’s big offseason signing, and he even got his first start over in Japan against these same Cubs.
While LA came away with the victory, it was far from a stellar start. Roki Saski went just three innings, and while that can be attributed to being his very first start, since then, he’s lasted just 1.2 and four innings. None of those have translated into personal wins, either. He’ll look to change that tonight in what will be a tough performance to follow.
How To Watch MLB Cubs vs. Dodgers Today
Until we see this matchup on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball tomorrow night, here’s how to watch Cubs vs. Dodgers today:
- Where: Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California
- When: 9:10 PM ET on 4/12
- Watch on TV: MLB Network, regional sports networks
- Where to stream: Fubo, MLB.TV
Cubs vs. Dodgers Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
As we’ve been noting, LA is again a clear-cut favorite tonight, and you can see the latest Cubs vs. Dodgers odds below:
- Run Line: Chicago Cubs +1.5 (-140) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers -1.5 (+120)
- Money Line: Chicago Cubs (+150) vs. Los Angeles Dodgers (-180)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 8.5 (-120) vs. Under 8.5 (+100)
Cubs vs. Dodgers Best Bet: Shohei Ohtani Over 1.5 Total Bases (Join Fantasy Contests At Underdog As Well)
We’d love to exploit Roki Sasaki’s slow start with another Cubs hitter tonight, but we’ll switch things up and head to the Dodgers lineup. After all, it’s absolutely loaded, so the options are virtually endless.
That’s even after Max Muncy was ruled out of last night’s game, and last night was also all about the return of Freddie Freeman. However, both he and superstar Shohei Ohtani had far from remarkable nights. By now, even the most casual fan knows that’s an outlier for both of them, and we’re targeting the LA leadoff man tonight.
Shohei Ohtani virtually speaks for himself at this point, but facing Cubs starter Ben Brown, he’s set up for even more success. He’s just a two-year starter in the MLB, who was just rocked for five earned runs in four innings of work against the Dodgers rival - the San Diego Padres.
Ohtani has actually faced Brown before as well, albeit just a 1-for-2 statline. Even without that, Shohei has proven that he is completely matchup-proof, leading the entire MLB in total bases last year. His 411 were 19 more than the next-closest player, which is what helped him earn MVP honors.
It may not be the most outside-the-box pick, but we love Shohei Ohtani over 1.5 total bases (target daily player projections at Underdog) as the best bet from our Cubs vs. Dodgers predictions today.
Cubs vs. Dodgers Injury Report & Starting Pitchers
The most notable update in terms of Cubs vs. Dodgers injury news continues to be the ones that we broke down yesterday. That would be Chicago sending lefty starter Justin Steele to the IL, and they are now seeking a second opinion on his elbow. In LA, we indeed saw the return of Freddie Freeman that we expected.
As far as an update on Dodgers starter Clayton Kershaw (60-day IL), he is set to begin rehab assignments in Oklahoma City this coming week. Speaking of starters, here are today’s Cubs vs. Dodgers starters:
- Chicago Cubs starting pitcher today: Ben Brown (1-1, 7.71 ERA)
- Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher today: Roki Sasaki (0-0, 4.15 ERA)
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Player News
Twins placed OF Matt Wallner on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to April 16, with a left hamstring strain.
As anticipated, Wallner lands on the injured list after injuring his hamstring during Tuesday’s ballgame. There’s still no word on the severity of the strain or how much time Wallner stands to miss. Jonah Bride — who was acquired from the Marlins — was added to the Twins’ roster in a corresponding move on Thursday.
Wyatt Langford (oblique) will begin a minor league rehab assignment at Double-A Frisco on Thursday.
The 23-year-old budding superstar will serve as the designated hitter on Thursday night before easing his way back into the outfield. Langford wanted to skip the rehab assignment altogether, so as long as he shows that he’s ready to go, there’s a chance that the Rangers could bring him back at some point during their weekend series against the Dodgers.
Kyle Schwarber went 2-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs on Thursday afternoon, propelling the Phillies to a 6-4 victory over the visiting Giants.
Schwarber got the Phillies on the board with a go-ahead two-run single off of Jordan Hicks and then scored on a wild pitch as part of a five-run opening inning. He also reached on an infield single in the fifth inning but was left stranded there. The 32-year-old slugger is off to a strong start to the 2025 campaign, slashing .284/.435/.597 with six homers, 14 RBI and a stolen base in his first 85 plate appearances.
José Alvarado notched his fourth save of the season on Thursday, protecting a two-run advantage in the ninth inning against the Giants.
The 29-year-old left-hander came on with a three-run lead to protect, but things got a bit closer as he served up a one-out solo homer to Tyler Fitzgerald. After getting Wilmer Flores on a ground ball to shortstop, Alvarado walked Jung Hoo Lee to bring the tying run to the plate before retiring Christian Koss on a fielder’s choice to end it. He appears to be locked in as the preferred ninth inning option for manager Rob Thomson and should continue to provide plenty of fantasy value for as long as he remains healthy and stationed there.
Cristopher Sanchez picked up his second victory of the season on Thursday, racking up a season-high 12 strikeouts over seven innings against the Giants.
The 28-year-old southpaw allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and one walk. The Giants scratched out a run against him in the first inning on a two-out RBI single by Matt Chapman. Sanchez then served up a two-run homer to Chapman in the sixth after Heliot Ramos had reached on an error. He got a whopping 24 swings and misses on 97 pitches in the ballgame — 22 of those on his changeup alone — while posting an elite CSW of 40 percent. Now 2-0 on the season, Sanchez will carry a 2.96 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and a 31/6 K/BB ratio (24 1/3 innings) into Tuesday’s showdown against the Mets in New York.
Matt Chapman went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI on Thursday, accounting for most of the Giants’ offense in a losing effort against the Phillies.
Chapman got the Giants on the board first with an RBI single off of Cristopher Sanchez in the opening inning. He then tagged him for a 372-foot (100.6 mph EV) two-run shot in the sixth inning that pulled the Giants to within two runs at 5-3. That would be as close as they would get. With his two-hit attack, the 31-year-old third baseman is now hitting .239/.386/.418 with three homers, 12 RBI and two stolen bases through his first 19 games.