Ohtani Will Feast On Sunday Night Baseball

Cubs vs. Dodgers, 7:00 ET

I had two bets yesterday and both happened to be on the run line. I think I'm going to get back to investing more in the run line plays because typically they are plus money, and games don't really end by one run as often as you'd think. Sure, some teams are prone to one-run victories more than others, but there are usually a lot of opportunities for the run line to come into play. Just five of 15 games yesterday were one-run games. Of course, one of the ones I bet was a one-run win for the Diamondbacks, so I lost money when I would've won on the moneyline, but the risk wasn't worth it for that type of play in my opinion. I'll tell you another game where the risk isn't worth it - tonight's game betting a ton on the Dodgers as they host the Cubs.

The Cubs looked great yesterday. At least they did against the Dodgers bullpen. In the Saturday contest, the first six innings were pretty boring. They were able to get a run off of starter Roki Sasaki, the second time they faced him already this season. Then the floodgates opened as the Cubs started hitting the relievers. The Cubs scored 14 runs in the final three frames en route to a 16-0 win. It was good for a Cubs team to get a victory against a Dodgers team that was already up 3-0 for the season series. This came a day after the Cubs were held scoreless. Tonight, on Sunday Night Baseball, the Cubs send out Colin Rea to the hill. Rea is, I assume, acting like an opener in this game rather than a starter. He is a relief pitcher essentially and should go between three and five innings for the Cubs. For the season, he has just 5.1 innings under his belt over three starts, but they have been very good with no runs allowed and just five hits. Dodgers hitters have done pretty well against Rea though with 17 hits in 56 at-bats and seven of those going for extra bases. Shohei Ohtani has two hits against Rea in six at-bats and both have left the yard. 

Mar 31, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Chicago Cubs catcher Carson Kelly (15) high five teammates after the game at Sutter Health Park. Kelly hit for the cycle. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

The Dodgers finally suffered their first home loss of the season last night. I suppose it was inevitable, but it was an ugly loss. Sometimes it is easier to lose that way and just come back to the ballpark the next day to shake it off. Losing heartbreakers or in extra innings has to be tougher than getting blown out. Honestly, the most insane part to me about the Dodgers losing wasn't the amount of runs they gave up, or even that they lost. It was that they didn't score a run. The Dodgers are too good of an offense to have a prolonged slump at the dish. Tonight, eyes will focus on the pitcher's mound more than hitters, though. Tyler Glasnow is taking the mound. The normally superb starter has struggled a bit out of the gate. Game one was great for him against the Braves - five innings, two hits, three walks, eight strikeouts. His second start was much less impressive, just two innings against the Phillies, two hits, five earned runs and five walks. Some games you just don't have it. Justin Turner has been particularly bad against Glasnow with no hits in 14 at-bats and 10 strikeouts against him. The rest of the Cubs are just 3-for-11 against him. 

I don't ever advocate playing a moneyline that is more than -135. The number is somewhat arbitrary, but I feel like a loss on a big moneyline is just too difficult to have to overcome if you lose too often. I think the Dodgers win this and they probably win by more than one run. Do I love the -125 to play it? Not at all. So my play is going to be on Ohtani. I think he gets an RBI in this game - probably a home run, but the odds really are not good (just +205 at DraftKings). For him to have an RBI is +130. That's the route I'm going in this one. Justin Turner under 0.5 hits at +120 is a good look too. 

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