Set your alarm clocks, baseball fans. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs kick off the MLB season at 6:10 a.m. ET in Tokyo, Japan.
The pregame narrative: Mookie Betts won’t play on Tuesday, but I still like Los Angeles’ Teoscar Hernandez to drive in a run. Taking Kyle Tucker to record a hit in addition to a heavily-teased alt under generates a juicy +500 SGP.
Check out my Dodgers vs. Cubs SGP predictions for March 18.
Dodgers vs. Cubs predictions
Parlay: Hernandez 1+ RBI | Tucker 1+ hits | Under 10.5 (+500)
Hernandez 1+ RBI (+143): The absence of Betts makes life a little more difficult for Hernandez, but he still gets to bat behind two MVP winners in Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman.
Ohtani (.390 on-base percentage) and Freeman (.378) both ranked inside the top 10 for OBP last season.
Los Angeles has an embarrassment of riches atop its lineup and Hernandez — who typically bats cleanup — will be in prime position to drive in batters all year.
The former Toronto Blue Jay had 99 RBI and owned a stellar .943 OPS with runners in scoring position last season.
I’ll happily back him at this price, even with Shota Imanaga (2.91 ERA in 2024) on the bump for Chicago.
MLB SGP legs
Tucker 1+ hit (-182): Tucker makes his debut for the Cubs on Tuesday after spending seven strong seasons with the Astros.
The power-hitting lefty has posted incredible numbers since becoming an everyday starter in 2021:
- .280/.362/.527 slash line
- 145 OPS+
- .305 batting average vs. RHP
Yoshinobu Yamamoto gets the ball for Los Angeles and he’s coming off an impressive rookie campaign (3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP).
But I still like Tucker to notch a hit with a platoon advantage.
Under 10.5 runs (-420): This heavily-teased under nearly doubles our parlay’s value from +255 to +500 thanks to some negative correlation.
And I think Hernandez and Tucker can get their licks in without this turning into a full-fledged shootout.
Imanaga and Yamamoto were both great in 2024 and should be on tight leashes in the season opener. Ideally, they’ll do their jobs before turning the ball over to a pair of solid bullpens:
- Los Angeles’ bullpen ranked third in ERA (3.53) and fifth in WHIP (1.18) last year.
- Chicago wasn’t far behind, ranking 11th in ERA (3.81).
Dodgers vs. Cubs predictions made at 2:30 p.m. ET on 03/17/2025.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.