Griffin Wong gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
MLB history will be made tonight when Los Angeles Dodgers try to pick up a series win against the Cleveland Guardians tonight at Dodger Stadium. No team has ever started Japanese-born pitchers in three consecutive games, but barring a late scratch, the Dodgers will achieve the historic first in tonight’s series finale when they send World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound.
The Guardians will have Gavin Williams crest the rubber to oppose Yamamoto. First pitch is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
Let’s break down this matchup with some odds and lines at DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cleveland Guardians at Los Angeles Dodgers prediction, preview
The Dodgers picked up right where they left off in 2025, winning four of their first five games of the season, and all five of their starters produced strong outings, though Roki Sasaki was pegged with a loss. Los Angeles’ new acquisitions look right at home, as Kyle Tucker hit a go-ahead single in the second game of the season and Edwin Díaz already has two saves. Both the Dodgers’ rotation and bullpen rank in the top 10 in ERA so far, a promising sign for a team whose relievers posted the 10th-highest ERA in baseball last season. Los Angeles has struggled offensively, ranking just 13th in OPS so far, but given the talent on its roster, that seems likely to turn around eventually. As for Cleveland, its bullpen has been solid, but its offense has really struggled, posting the fourth-lowest OPS in baseball after finishing second-to-last in that stat last season. The Guardians have scored one or fewer runs thrice after doing so 28 times last season.
Cleveland will have a solid, if inconsistent, starter on the hill. Williams had a breakout season in 2025, pitching to a 3.06 ERA across 167.2 innings and adding six shutout innings in his lone postseason start, but his underlying statistical profile belied his strong surface-level performance. He led all of the major leagues in walks, and his 4.30 expected ERA was significantly higher than his actual mark. In theory, Williams has some strong tools, including a 96th-percentile breaking run value and an 84th-percentile fastball velocity, but he was prone to giving up hard hits and walks, which could be a problem against a Dodgers team that ranked second in walks for the fifth straight season and fourth in average exit velocity. Williams’ lone start against Los Angeles last season was one of his worst, as he gave up four earned runs on four hits and six walks in 4.2 innings of work. He was also a little bit less effective on the road, and the Dodgers were utterly dominant at hitter-friendly Dodger Stadium. Williams’ ability to induce grounders could prove effective against a fly-ball-reliant Los Angeles lineup, but he’ll have his work cut out for him, especially if he wants to out-duel Yamamoto.
The three-time Eiji Sawamura Award winner opened his season with a six-inning, two-run effort, but after struggling some with walks in 2025, he exhibited exceptional control. Yamamoto’s underlying statistical profile was just as strong as his surface-level brilliance last season, as he ranked in the top quartile in seven of 12 Statcast categories and only fell short of the median in walk rate (which might not matter so much against the Guardians, who finished 11th-to-last in walks last season). He also ended the season on a tear, notching a 1.13 ERA across his final six starts of the season and then pitching to a 1.45 ERA in the postseason. To be fair, Yamamoto was slightly more gettable at Dodger Stadium, recording a mortal 3.04 ERA, but much of that was a result of luck, as he allowed a .275 batting average on balls in play at home. Cleveland was marginally better against righties and starters, but it put up just a .608 OPS against power pitchers, classified by Baseball Reference as those who rank near the top of the league in combined strikeouts + walks. Yamamoto should cruise.
Cleveland Guardians at Los Angeles Dodgers pick, best bet
Best Bet: Under 8 (-112)
On paper, the Dodgers’ offense is such a bad matchup for Williams that they could conceivably score more than eight runs by themselves, but they’re off to a cold start, and the Guardians still have a strong bullpen that finished third in ERA last season. Conservatively, Yamamoto should offer at least six innings, giving up two or fewer runs.
Strong Lean: Yoshinobu Yamamoto 1 or Fewer Earned Runs (-115)
Cleveland is a great matchup for him because it doesn’t walk much or make much hard contact, the only two areas in which he’s historically struggled. Yamamoto gave up two runs in the season opener because he made one awful pitch to Geraldo Perdomo, the NL’s WAR leader; with all due respect to José Ramírez, the Guardians don’t have a bat quite that fearsome.