Cubs Dodgers Betting – Dodgers Avenge Earlier Losses To Cubs
Online betting players will likely call the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers two of the biggest underachievers in the major leagues, because their success isn’t matching their payrolls. But both head into 2011 with a positive outlook as they prepare for their third meeting of the spring, and we’re going with the Dodgers to avoid an 0-3 record against the Cubs in Cactus League action.
- What: MLB betting
- When: Tuesday, March 22nd, 4:05 PM ET
- Where: Camelback Ranch, Glendale, AZ
- Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers
Why Bet On Chicago Cubs
Of course, we’re not sure who the Cubs are going to start on Tuesday, but while they’ve gotten good innings from Ryan Dempster and Carlos Zambrano, Matt Garza has struggled so far with his new team this spring. Garza is 0-2 in four games (three starts) with a 10.13 ERA in 10.2 innings, and that can’t be promising, but it could be a matter of Garza pressing too hard. The rotation looks to be sorted with the first three, along with Carlos Silva and Randy Wells, but 24-year-old Andrew Cashner will be the first guy in line if one of the starters gets injured. Cashner is 1-1 in four games (two starts) with a 3.97 ERA in 11.1 innings, and his velocity can get him by in spots.
Carlos Pena has hit .242 with a pair of homers and four RBIs so far this spring, and like Garza, his teammate in Tampa Bay, the big first baseman would love to show why the Cubs spent $10 million on him for next season. The biggest question will be who starts at second base: Blake DeWitt or Jeff Baker? Baker has had the edge at the plate so far this spring, but manager Mike Quade will likely go with a platoon system to start the 2011 season.
Why Bet On Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers already have their Opening Day starter with Clayton Kershaw, and the rest of the rotation is set with Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly, Hiroki Kuroda and Jon Garland, Tim Redding and John Ely are both getting a look to be the club’s sixth starter, but their current rotation is as solid as it has been in years, providing everyone pitches to their maximum ability. In fact, if Billingsley pitches the way we all know he can, the Dodgers can definitely compete with San Francisco’s rotation. He will need to, because Vicente Padilla will be out until the All-Star break with nerve damage in his right arm, and Garland could start the season on the disabled list.
The best thing to come out of the spring for the Dodgers’ MLB betting odds is that Matt Kemp has been absolutely destroying the ball with a .316 average, and his three homers and nine RBIs lead the team. Kemp wasn’t at his best last year despite racking up 28 homers and 89 RBIs. Kemp struck out far too much, and he may have been feeling pressure after a great 2009. It’s not that Kemp was horrible in 2010, he was just too inconsistent, and if he can be steadier, the Dodgers have a guy in the middle of the lineup who can hit 35 homers, and possibly 40.
How The Game Will Play Out
Again, it’s so tough to handicap spring-training games because you have no idea who is going to play, and there are two schools of thought: managers will either give their stars more work as the regular season approaches, or they will rest them because the MLB season is so long. These two have met twice in the spring already, and both games went to extra innings at the Cubs’ “home” base in Las Vegas. Both teams got good performances from their starters, and there was an intensity about the games as players were jockeying for places on the team. The Cubs won the first two games, but we’re going to give the edge to the Dodgers at their place this time, and again, you need to watch the starters as you could get Kershaw and whoever Chicago feels will give them the best sports betting chance on Opening Day.
Cubs Dodgers Betting Pick: Los Angeles Dodgers
