This article is part of our MLB Picks series.
MLB Best Bets Tonight: Free MLB Picks for Cubs vs Dodgers Tokyo Series
RotoWire.com's Michael Rathburn has dug into the best sports betting sites across the country to identify his MLB bets and MLB player props to target today. Cash in on the best sportsbook promos this MLB season such as the BetMGM bonus code for a first-bet offer up to $1,500.
Chicago Cubs 
vs. Los Angeles Dodgers 
Starting Pitchers - Shota Imanaga (L) vs. Yoshinobu Yamamoto (R)
Dodgers -154 (FanDuel Sportsbook) / Cubs +136 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Dodgers -1.5 (BetRivers -112) / Cubs +1.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook -130)
TOTAL - Over 7.5 (BetRivers +/- 109), Under 8.0 (Caesars -120)
Dodgers - Mookie Betts (illness) is not going to play in either game.
Cubs - Nico Hoerner (forearm) is listed as OUT.
The Cubs and Dodgers travel to Tokyo for a two-game series to start the 2025 MLB Baseball season with a start time of 6:10 am Eastern on Tuesday.
The Dodgers opened -165 and jumped up to as high as -185 and as low as -140. The total has seen significant movement with it opening at 8.5 and now sitting at 7.5.
Yamamoto and Imanaga had incredible rookie seasons and look to build on that Tuesday. While Imanaga has great stuff, he does have a 46 percent flyball rate which was 6th high among qualified starters. His strikeout and homerun rate were significantly better at home versus the road, and right-handed batters really were able to tee off on him which has me looking at some of the righties on the Dodgers (Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez).
In 2024, Will Smith had a 134 wRC+ against lefties versus 102 against righties. His HR/FB rate jumped considerably on the road against left-handers when you compare it against right-handers at home (19 percent versus 9 percent).
Hernandez also had a nice split edge with a 154 wRC+ versus 126, .284 ISO, and 32 percent HR/FB rate (Away vs. LHP) against a 14 percent (Home vs. RHP).
A popular strategy that bettors are looking to use over these two games is to just take the Cubs in both games on the moneyline with expectations this series goes 1-1.
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MLB Best Bets for Cubs vs. Dodgers
- Cubs ML for 0.5 unit (DraftKings Sportsbook +136)
- Teoscar Hernandez OVER 1.5 total bases for 0.5 unit (DraftKings +105)
- Will Smith OVER 1.5 total bases for 0.5 unit (DraftKings +105)
- Will Smith OVER 1.0 home runs for 0.25 unit (FanDuel +500)
- Teoscar Hernandez OVER 1.0 homeruns for 0.25 (FanDuel +390)
MLB Best Bets Today Recap
- Cubs ML for 0.5 unit (DraftKings Sportsbook +136)
- Teoscar Hernandez OVER 1.5 total bases for 0.5 unit (DraftKings +105)
- Will Smith OVER 1.5 total bases for 0.5 unit (DraftKings +105)
- Will Smith OVER 1.0 home runs for 0.25 unit (FanDuel +500)
- Teoscar Hernandez OVER 1.0 home runs for 0.25 (FanDuel +390)
Visit RotoWire all season long for exclusive MLB betting picks from our group of handicappers with their expert MLB picks each day of the campaign. Remember that betting apps vary in terms of odds and available MLB player props, so we have an easy-to-use MLB odds page that allows you to shop for the best lines at DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM and PointsBet.
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