Los Angeles Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs Prediction & Preview - 8/4/2026
Updated August 4, 2026
Updated August 4, 2026
The Los Angeles Dodgers arrive at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night looking to snap a four-game skid, and they're turning to a brand-new arm to do it. Tarik Skubal makes his Dodgers debut after being acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline, taking the ball against a Chicago Cubs club that just handed Los Angeles a 10-5 beatdown on Monday behind two-run homers from Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Kevin Alcántara. The two-time defending World Series champions have dropped six of their last eight games and lost their grip on the best record in baseball to Milwaukee, while the Cubs have won six of their last ten and are fighting to hold onto the top National League wild card spot.
Skubal's track record makes him the best pitcher on this field by a wide margin. He carries a 2.79 ERA into his Los Angeles debut and posted a 1.95 ERA over his final six starts in Detroit, a stretch that made him the top target on the entire trade market. Chicago counters with Javier Assad, who is 6-1 with a 3.75 ERA and has kept the Cubs afloat as their rotation absorbed injuries, but his strikeout numbers don't scare anyone the way Skubal's do. The bigger question is which version of the Dodgers offense shows up. Los Angeles was outscored 20-10 in a weekend sweep at the hands of Boston and then got roughed up again Monday, so there's a real cold spell to account for even against a pitcher of Skubal's caliber.
Still, talent tends to win out over a long enough sample, and Skubal on a mound with something to prove in his first start for a new club is a strong bet to settle things down. Expect Los Angeles to lean on Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts and Max Muncy to produce enough offense to back their new ace, while Pete Crow-Armstrong remains the one Cub capable of turning the game on his own with 24 home runs and 26 stolen bases on the season.
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Total parlay odds: +290
The Under carries the most support here. Skubal has held opponents to two earned runs or fewer in four of his last six starts, and even with the Cubs playing loose after Monday's outburst, a pitcher of this caliber tends to bring scoring back down to earth in his first outing with a new team. The strikeout prop is well within reach given Skubal's career strikeout rate sits comfortably above a batter per inning.
Category | Dodgers | Cubs |
|---|---|---|
Batting Average | .262 | .248 |
OPS | .772 | .753 |
wOBA | .337 | .332 |
wRC+ | 113 | 110 |
Team ERA | 3.70 | 4.09 |
xFIP | 3.89 | 4.25 |
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