This Cubs-Dodgers matchup is a Friday night heavyweight bout. Pitching is at the forefront, led by Los Angeles ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The 26-year-old right-hander comes into this tilt working on a strong start to the campaign. This will be the second time he faces these Chicago Cubs after the Tokyo Series. He will look for a repeat performance of his five-inning, one-run outing with a win for the Dodgers.
On the Cubs side of things, the feeling is back. Only the New York Yankees are scoring more runs per game. New acquisition Kyle Tucker has hit the ground running, leading the National League in runs, RBIs, hits, and total bases. Chicago is sitting pretty at 9-6 and will be confident going into a big tilt against the reigning World Series champions.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Los Angeles is the home favorite at -180, and the run total is set at eight. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite Yamamoto prop bet for this contest.
Best Yoshinobu Yamamoto Prop Bet on DraftKings Sportsbook
7+ Strikeouts Recorded (+160)
In his first start against the Cubs, Yoshi recorded a modest four strikeouts across five innings. I’m expecting that number to jump up tonight.
His past two outings have seen him punch out 15 batters across 11 innings. Per Baseball Savant, Yamamoto generates a swing and miss on 34.5% of his pitches this season. That’s an 87th percentile mark in the majors.
On top of that, these Cubs do not have good career numbers against the second-year hurler. Across 37 career at-bats for tonight’s lineup, the Cubbies have only recorded five hits against 14 punchouts. That bodes well for an elite swing-and-miss pitcher, even with the success the Cubs have had at the plate so far.
Perhaps this Chicago lineup proves too much for Yoshinobu, but I expect him to get his numbers in the strikeout column. I’d even consider playing it up to eight strikeouts at +300.
