The Chicago Cubs (73-79) and Los Angeles Dodgers (86-57) open a three-game series on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. First pitch is schedule for 10:10 p.m. ET; the game can be seen on MLB.TV or ESPN+.
With just 19 games remaining, the Dodgers look to be a near lock to claim yet another NL West title. They're 7-3 over their last 10 games, and the Arizona Diamondbacks (80-64) and San Diego Padres (81-64) have finally slowed down. As for the Cubs, they are five games out of the final NL wild-card spot.
Staying healthy and sorting out the playoff rotation will be prominent storylines down the stretch for the Dodgers. Their starting pitcher on Monday, Walker Buehler, has made a better case for himself over his last two outings. He will square off against the Cubs' Kyle Hendricks, who's also underachieved expectations by a significant margin with a 6.60 ERA this season.
Find my Cubs vs Dodgers prediction and pick for Monday, September 9, below.
Cubs-Dodgers Predictions
- Cubs-Dodgers Picks: Under 9.5 Runs (+100| Play to -115)
My Cubs-Dodgers best bet is on under 9.5 runs, where I see value at +100. The best line is available at bet365, as well as other sportsbooks — make sure to find the best odds by checking our live MLB odds page.
Chicago Cubs vs Los Angeles Dodgers Odds
| Cubs Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Over/Under | Run Line |
+160 | 10 -108o / -112u | +1.5 -122 |
| Dodgers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Moneyline | Over/Under | Run Line |
-192 | 10 -108o / -112u | -1.5 +102 |
- Cubs-Dodgers Moneyline: Cubs +160 | Dodgers -192
- Cubs-Dodgers Over/Under: 10 total runs (-108o / -112u)
- Cubs-Dodgers Run Line: Cubs +1.5 (-122) | Dodgers -1.5 (+102)
Projected Starting Pitchers for Cubs at Dodgers
| RHP Kyle Hendricks (CHC) | Stat | RHP Walker Buehler (LAD) |
|---|---|---|
| 3-11 | W-L | 1-4 |
| 0.1 | fWAR (FanGraphs) | -0.3 |
| 6.60/5.17 | ERA /xERA | 5.67/5.17 |
| 5.22/4.47 | FIP / xFIP | 5.98/4.67 |
| 1.51 | WHIP | 1.61 |
| 8.7% | K-BB% | 14.1% |
| 44.3% | GB% | 43.0% |
| 95 | Stuff+ | 95 |
| 105 | Location+ | 102 |
Nick Martin’s Cubs vs Dodgers Preview
Cubs Betting Preview: Kyle Hendricks Among MLB's Worst
Hendricks has been among the very worst pitchers in baseball this season; his 6.60 ERA is the second-worst mark of any starter to throw over 50 innings. It's by far the worst mark of his 11-year MLB career.
At age 34, Hendricks' level has obviously dropped considerably from where it once was. He likely had some favorable luck in 2023 when he posted a 3.74 ERA, but now the opposite looks to be true this season.
His Pitching+ rating of 100 is actually considerably better than last year's mark of 93, and his xFIP is nearly identical (4.47).
Over the last 30 days, Cubs relievers have a 4.08 ERA, with a 13th-ranked xFIP of 3.89. They've struck out 10.39 batters per nine in that span (10th-best in the MLB).
Since the All-Star break, the Cubs rank 15th in wRC+ (105) and 16th versus right-handed pitching.
They enter this matchup looking to bounce back from an ugly homestand in which they scored three runs or less in five of six games.
Dodgers Betting Preview: Walker Buehler Showing Positive Signs
Buehler, as well as manager Dave Roberts, both felt good about how he pitched last week versus Baltimore.
He pitched well against the Angels too, allowing two runs in five innings of work with six strikeouts. Across those two outings, Buehler has pitched to an ERA of 3.71 and holds an xFIP of 4.39.
He also struck out 9.31 batters per nine, which is up considerably from his average on the year.
The Dodgers have hit to a fifth-ranked wRC+ of 118 versus right-handed pitching since the All-Star break, which included the first meaningful sample of the season with a healthy lineup.
Teoscar Hernandez remains day-to-day ahead of this series after taking a pitch off the ankle, but he did receive positive news after tests came back negative.
Cubs-Dodgers Prediction, Betting Analysis
Both of these once-dominant starters have had horrid results this season, but that's well compensated by a betting total of 9.5 in a game taking place at Dodger Stadium.
Buehler has showed out well in his last two outings and could be a player to watch down the stretch based on the pitcher he once was.
He gets a good matchup to build on his excellent showing versus the Angels here and will lead into a solid bullpen.
Hendricks still ranks right at league average in Pitching+ and features an xFIP that's comparable to his last two seasons.
Nobody is trying to sell that he's a better-than-average starter, but he should better his 6.60 ERA the rest of the way.
Pick: Under 9.5 (+100 | Play to -130)
Moneyline
The Dodgers are 47-24 at home this season, which is tied with Philadelphia for the best win percentage in the MLB. They're also 80-44 as a favorite this season.
The Cubs are 35-37 on the road this season. They've been horrible as a favorite (28-43), but they've overachieved significantly as an underdog (42-28).
Over/Under
Games at Dodger Stadium are 39-29-3 against the total this season. Games in which the Dodgers are a favorite are 67-53-3.
Cubs totals are 34-34-4 (O/U) on the road this season and 29-40-1 when Chicago is an underdog.
Cubs-Dodgers Betting Trends
- 91 % of the bets and 98% of the money are on the Dodgers moneyline.
- 83% of the bets and 84% of the money are on the over.
- 97% of the bets and 93% of the money are on the Dodgers to cover the run line.
Cubs Betting Trends
- The Cubs are 6-4 in their last 10 games.
- The Cubs are 39-34 on the road against the spread.
- The Cubs are 8-2 in their last 10 games on the road.
- The under is 4-1 in the Cubs last five games.
Dodgers Betting Trends
- The Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
- The Dodgers are 39-32 at home against the spread.
- The Dodgers are 7-3 in their last 10 games at home.
- The under is 4-1 in the Dodgers last five games.
