Los Angeles @ Chicago preview
Wrigley Field
Last Meeting ( Apr 13, 2025 ) Chi. Cubs 4, LA Dodgers 2
Familiar foes will meet again on Tuesday as the Los Angeles Dodgers visit the Chicago Cubs for the opener of a two-game series.
The Dodgers opened the season with a pair of victories over the Cubs in Tokyo last month before Chicago responded by winning two of three games in Los Angeles from April 11-13.
The Cubs' two victories were part of a 5-2 stretch before they dropped 3-2 decision at home in 11 innings to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
Chicago struggled to ignite its high-octane offense in the series finale against Arizona, registering just four hits and going 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
"It was just a quiet offensive day," Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. "We only had four hits, and one was a check swing hit and two were off the infielder's glove. We didn't really create offense."
The Cubs' Michael Busch, who had an RBI single in the first inning on Sunday, was 6-for-12 with a homer and four RBIs during the three-game series and gets to match up against his former club again. He has gone 6-for-19 with four extra-base hits (two doubles, two homers) and four RBIs against the Dodgers this season.
A winner in five of its last six series after a 2-4 start, Chicago will turn to left-hander Shota Imanaga (2-1, 2.22 ERA) on Tuesday against Los Angeles right-hander Dustin May (1-1, 1.06).
Imanaga, 31, owns a 1-0 record with a 1.80 ERA in three career starts versus the Dodgers.
The Japanese hurler received a no-decision on March 18 against Los Angeles despite failing to allow a hit over four scoreless innings. He walked four batters to elevate his pitch count, however.
May, 27, picked up his first win since May 6, 2023, last Monday after allowing one earned run on three hits in six innings for the second straight outing. He struck out seven batters and did not issue a walk in a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Rockies.
May won his lone career encounter versus the Cubs. He permitted two runs on two hits in 5 1/3 innings of a 9-4 victory on April 22, 2023.
Los Angeles answered back-to-back losses to Chicago earlier this month by winning five of its last six games.
Star Shohei Ohtani returned from the paternity list after his wife gave birth to the couple's first child and drew a walk in the eighth inning that helped lead to the Dodgers deliver the lone run of the contest on Sunday. Back-to-back fly balls from Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman did just enough to plate Will Smith to lift Los Angeles to a 1-0 victory over the Texas Rangers.
"It was just a great manufactured inning," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.
Teoscar Hernandez ripped a double among Los Angeles' three hits on Sunday. He has four hits against Chicago this season.
Tommy Edman went 0-for-8 in his last two games after hitting a home run among his three hits in the series opener. He belted a solo shot in the Dodgers' 6-3 victory over the Cubs on March 19 and a three-run homer in a 3-0 win versus Chicago on April 11.
Edman leads the Dodgers with seven home runs this season, one better than Ohtani.
--Field Level Media