MLB DFS Picks: Dodgers vs. Cubs Showdown Playbook, 3/18 - Tokyo Series
The MLB season officially begins with the Tokyo Series as the Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Chicago Cubs.
Game 1 of this series features two of the best Japanese pitchers battling it out: Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto versus Cubs ace Shota Imanaga while Shohei Ohtani and Seiya Suzuki represent their country at the plate.
With this being the first official game of the 2025 MLB season, let's take a look at the matchups to target, projected starting lineups and odds as we look to build a winning MLB DFS Showdown lineup.
Tokyo Series Dodgers vs. Cubs Odds
Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Chicago Cubs
- Los Angeles Dodgers -170 ML
- Chicago Cubs +142 ML
- Total: 8.5 O/U (-102/118)
Tokyo Series Dodgers vs. Cubs: Pitching Matchup
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
Though limited to just 18 regular season starts due to a rotator cuff injury, it was a good rookie season for Yamamoto in 2024 as he finished 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA with 105 strikeouts over 90.0 innings.
Yamamoto was also a key contributor to the Dodgers World Series Championship as he went 2-0 in the playoffs which included a Game 2 World Series win against the New York Yankees.
Yamamoto made four appearances this spring,throwing 13.0 innings and maxing out at 75 pitches in his final spring outing.
Of course, Yamamoto had a less than memorable MLB debut last season against the Padres when he lasted just one inning after allowing five runs on four hits.
With the rookie jitters behind him, I’d expect a much improved performance here to kick off the 2025 MLB season.
Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs
While Yamamoto arrived with much greater fanfare, it was Japan’s other international free agent, Shota Imanaga who stole the early spotlight and was a front runner for the NL Rookie of the Year for much of the season as he went 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA and 174 strikeouts over 173.1 innings.
Imanaga was electric to open his career, allowing just three total earned runs over his first five starts and outside of a poor month of June, he was the best pitcher on the Cubs roster.
Imanaga isn’t having the sharpest spring, having allowed seven earned runs over 11 innings but he did have a four inning shutout against the Padres among his three outings.
He will face a daunting Dodgers lineup here in Game 1 over the 2025 season but in 2024 he held his own, allowing just three earned runs over 11.0 innings.
Tokyo Series Dodgers vs. Cubs: Projected Lineups
Los Angeles Dodgers Projected Lineup
- Shohei Ohtani, DH
- Tommy Edman, 2B
- Freddie Freeman, 1B
- Teoscar Hernandez, RF
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Will Smith, C
- Michael Conforto, LF
- Miguel Rojas
- Andy Pages, CF
Chicago Cubs Projected Lineup
- Ian Happ, LF
- Kyle Tucker, RF
- Seiya Suzuki, DH
- Michael Busch, 1B
- Dansby Swanson, SS
- Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
- Jon Berti, 2B
- Matt Shaw, 3B
- Miguel Amaya, C
Tokyo Series Dodgers vs. Cubs: MLB DFS Picks
Shohei Ohtani, 1B/OF
I mean, what more really needs to be said here? He is going to be the highest rostered player on the showdown slate and while sometimes that is a major incentive to fade, especially when it comes to MLB DFS where points are not guaranteed, we’ve also seen him already homer during the exhibition game the other day and his upside for power and stolen bases is really unmatched as he comes off yet another MVP season which saw him hit 57 homers and steal 59 bases.
Kyle Tucker, OF
The Cubs prized offseason acquisition came via trade with the Houston Astros as they landed all-star slugger Kyle Tucker.
Tucker appeared in just 80 games last season due to a leg injury but when on the field he was as productive as ever, hitting .282 with 23 homers, 11 stolen bases and an OPS of .972.
Tucker is projected to hit second for his new ball club and hopefully the start of the regular season will be an improvement from his spring performance where he was just 1-for-23 with that lone hit being a home run.
Freddie Freeman, 1B
Freeman had a postseason to remember for the Dodgers during their World Series run, winning the World Series MVP after hitting .300 with four homers and 12 RBI over the five games against the Yankees.
The power did not disappear over the offseason as he launched three homers during spring training and he is set to be another highly productive bat in the middle of the Dodgers lineup this season.
Teoscar Hernandez, OF
Many expected Hernandez to be a one-and-done with the Los Angeles Dodgers as he hit free agency, but he and the team agreed on a reunion to run it back and now he has a chance to build upon a fantastic 2024 season which saw him hit 36 homers and drive in 111 RBI.
Hernandez once again thrived against left-handed pitching last season, hitting .209 with a .284 ISO and a .391 wOBA and with a lefty on the mound in Shota Imanaga he finds himself in a favorable splits matchup.
Ian Happ, OF
The Cubs leadoff man offers up a nice little combo of power and speed after hitting 25 homers last season with 13 stolen bases.
This matchup for the Cubs is not expected to be that easy, not just due to the matchup against Yamamoto but also due to the Dodgers elite bullpen arms so while you need to sprinkle some Cubs in your lineup, the majority of them will likely be lower rostered which makes someone like Happ a nice contrarian option for your builds.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, OF
Again, this is not projected to be an easy matchup for the Cubs but PCA is absolutely electric when on the basepaths and after mashing the ball during the spring to the tune of a .519 batting average with three homers and two stolen bases I’m buying in on PCA this season after a rookie year which saw him hit 10 homers with 27 stolen bases over 123 games last year.
Other Notable Options:
- Seiya Suzuki, OF
- Max Muncy, 3B
- Tommy Edman, 2B
- Andy Pages, OF
- Dansby Swanson, SS
Player News
Oswaldo Cabrera went 2-for-3 with a homer and a walk Thursday in the Yankees’ 6-3 victory over the Rays.
Cabrera was back in the lineup tonight after sitting Tuesday against a righty for the first time this season and then again Wednesday, though that was versus a lefty and was typical. The homer, his first of the year, was hit 382 feet and would have remained in play in 26 ballparks, says Statcast. Still, this pushes him up to .308/.372/.385 for the year. A little hot streak here would be nice, what with DJ LeMahieu close to beginning a rehab assignment.
Will Warren was pulled in the second after allowing just one run Thursday in a no-decision against the Rays.
Warren’s first inning wasn’t bad; he gave up singles to the first two batters he faced, but one of the runners was erased on the basepaths, and Warren completed the inning having thrown 15 pitches. The second inning, however, saw him throw 38 pitches and walk two while getting two outs. He was replaced by Ryan Yarbrough with the bases loaded, and Yarbrough retired Brandon Lowe to end the threat. Warren’s ERA essentially held steady at 5.17 in spite of the weak effort. The immediate threat to his rotation spot was cleared when Marcus Stroman’s knee injury created room for Clarke Schmidt, but Warren still might be on thin ice anyway. He’s due to face the Guardians next.
Devin Williams turned in a perfect ninth for his fourth save Thursday versus the Rays.
Williams needed just six pitches tonight. The Rays actually put three of his four changeups into play, but they turned into a fairly well-hit groundout, a popup and a weak liner to third. Williams has retired six in a row in his last two outings after struggling some over the first two weeks.
Taj Bradley was tagged for six runs in 5 1/3 innings by the Yankees in a loss Thursday.
Bradley allowed nine hits and walked four before being lifted. He also settled for three strikeouts after fanning seven in each of his first three starts. Bradley will probably be a somewhat better bet once the Rays start playing in more road games, but next week’s outing in Arizona still isn’t a very good matchup.
Ben Rice finished 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI against the Rays on Thursday.
Rice put five balls in play, the softest of which was a 94.6-mph single. His one out was a 107.0-mph grounder. To think he’d probably be in the minors right now if Giancarlo Stanton was healthy, and even with Stanton out, the Yankees weighed picking Dominic Smith over him this spring. Rice is batting .317/.414/.650 in 17 games.
Junior Caminero went 2-for-4 and hit his fifth homer against the Yankees on Thursday.
Caminero is hitting too many balls on the ground, but everything he gets into the air seems to leave the yard. Tonight’s homer, his fourth in six games, was a 378-foot shot to right-center off Ryan Yarbrough.