Griffin Wong gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Los Angeles Angels and the Chicago Cubs.

The last time the Los Angeles Angels finished the season with a winning record, they still had the moniker “of Anaheim” at the end of their official name, Mike Trout was just a 23-year-old, and Barack Obama was still the President of the United States. It’s been a long time.

The Angels aren’t necessarily expected to finish with a winning record in 2026, but they made some strides in 2025, improving by nine wins relative to 2024, and they’re off to a 2-3 start so far this season. They’ll play the middle game of a three-game road set against the Chicago Cubs tonight, with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 p.m. ET.

Los Angeles will start José Soriano, while the Cubs will counter with Jameson Taillon.

Let’s break down this matchup with some odds and lines at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Los Angeles Angels at Chicago Cubs prediction, preview

In the series opener last night, Angels starter Ryan Johnson struggled mightily, conceding six runs on seven hits and four walks in just 3.1 innings, requiring relievers Joey Lucchesi and Shaun Anderson to handle the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Chicago’s offseason acquisition, Edward Cabrera, was brilliant in his team debut, hurling six innings of one-hit, shutout ball, and Colin Rea took it the rest of the way in a nine-out save. It’s obviously too early to read much into it, but the fact that Los Angeles ranked 28th in bullpen ERA last season and 10th so far this season has to be confidence-inspiring.

The Angels should have a chance tonight with their staff ace, Soriano, on the mound. The Dominican earned the Opening Day start and repaid Kurt Suzuki’s faith with a six-inning, two-hit gem against the Houston Astros. While he’s unlikely to keep quite that form up, he had 15 starts with a game score of 60 or higher last season. Though the flamethrower is susceptible to the occasional hard hit — last season, he ranked in just the fourth percentile in average exit velocity — he’s mostly limited the damage, posting a 100th-percentile ground-ball rate. Soriano’s ability to induce grounders could help limit a Cubs offense that got the ball in the air at the second-highest rate last season, especially since Kyle Tucker — a master at finding the launch-angle sweet spot — is now off the team. Chicago also had an OPS 21 points lower at home, and Soriano was significantly better on the road, pitching to a 2.91 ERA across 16 starts.

Meanwhile, with the Cubs having played one fewer game, this’ll be Taillon’s first game of the season. The former second overall pick hasn’t quite lived up to his immense promise, but he’s coming off of a solid season in which he finished with a 3.68 ERA across 23 starts. He finished the 2025 season in particularly strong form, pitching to a 1.57 ERA across his final six starts of the season. Taillon doesn’t throw very hard and doesn’t strike out many batters, but he exhibited exceptional control in 2025, recording a 93rd-percentile walk rate. He also ranked in the league’s top tertile in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, which could serve him well against a Los Angeles offense that ranked second in barrel rate. Plus, it hardly matters that he doesn’t miss bats, given that Chicago ranked second in defensive runs saved in 2025. The Angels also hit worse against fly-ball pitchers than ground-ball pitchers.

Los Angeles Angels at Chicago Cubs pick, best bet

Best Bet: Los Angeles Angels Moneyline (+119)

Because of the way the schedule has lined up, Los Angeles has its best starter going up against the Cubs’ worst, and given that Soriano’s 2.91 road ERA came across a 92.2-inning sample, it’s pretty hard to ignore. The Angels don’t have a great offense, but their pitching advantage is significant enough that they’re worth taking at plus-odds.

Strong Lean: Mike Trout 2+ Hits + Runs + Stolen Bases (+115)

Trout is off to a strong start this season, slashing .353/.542/.706, and while his 1.248 OPS is clearly unsustainable, Taillon is a good matchup. He offered some variety of a fastball on more than half of his pitches to right-handed batters last season, and Trout still did a solid job against right-handed fastballs last season, posting a .503 xSLG on such pitches. Trout isn’t much of a base-stealing threat anymore, but his sprint speed is still above-average, and Taillon has consistently been below-average in the running game.