Three bets to make in Tarik Skubal's Dodgers debut vs. Cubs [August, 4, 2026]
See what the Dimers data says about 2x AL Cy Young Winner Tarik Skubal's debut for the Dodgers vs. the Cubs on Tuesday night.
After acquiring Tarik Skubal before the MLB Trade Deadline, the Dodgers' new ace makes his debut for the club on Tuesday, August 4th vs. the Cubs in Wrigley Field, with multiple MLB betting opportunities lying in Tarik Skubal props and our MLB predictions.
The back-to-back AL Cy Young Winner joins the back-to-back World Series champs for the run to the postseason and beyond as the Dodgers aim for a World Series threepeat, and the Dimers Pro data points to a number of valuable bets to make in Dodgers vs. Cubs.
Built from 1000s of pregame simulations utilizing advanced MLB prediction data, our models identify the spots where the sportsbooks have miscalculated the odds, giving you the edge over the house.
Dodgers vs. Cubs matchup overview
- Teams: Dodgers vs. Cubs
- Date: Tuesday, August 4, 2026
- Time: 8:05 PM ET
- Venue: Wrigley Field
How to bet on Tarik Skubal's Dodgers debut on Tuesday, August 4
Skubal will make his debut on the road vs. the Cubs, and it's a debut in more than one way as he's never pitched in Wrigley Field before.
He brings a 7-5 record and 2.79 ERA over from the Tigers, allowing just eight ER over his past six starts, to a team ranked 4th in runs scored this season.
Between our MLB player props and model's pitcher projections for Skubal, we've identified these three ways to bet on Dodgers-Cubs tonight:
1. Tarik Skubal under 4.5 hits allowed (+111 on DraftKings)
Considering his ranks in our pitcher projections, and Skubal is projected for the best all-around night of any starter.
He ranks 1st in earned runs and outs recorded, 2nd in strikeouts and 4th in hits allowed at 4.4 vs. the Cubs tonight. This season with the Tigers, he owns a sub 1.0 WHIP, allowing opposing batters to hit at just a .210 average, going under this number in 5 of his last 7 starts, including his past two in which he pitched over 6.0 innings.
We identify a 50.3% probability of Skubal going under 4.5, which should be odds of +100, while we can get +111 on DraftKings, giving us a 2.9% edge.
Tarik Skubal's projections from the Dimers App.
2. Tarik Skubal over 18.5 outs recorded (+131 on DraftKings)
Our next prop is backing Skubal to record at least one out in the seventh inning, meaning he'll cash this bet with 6.1 IP in the game.
Skubal gets a 47.7% probability to go over, with his sportsbook odds of +131 notably shorter than his fair price of +110, giving us the 4.4% edge you can see below.
He cleared this in his final three starts with Detroit and five total times this year. The Dodgers haven't been shy about letting starters pitch into later innings when not being managed carefully like Ohtani.
Projected for the most outs on the board tonight, no player has a better chance to go deep into the game per our model.
Our model edge on Skubal's "Outs Recorded" prop.
3. Tarik Skubal to go 6 up, 6 down to start the game (+400 on FanDuel)
This is a fun bet that combines all of our projections for Skubal and the Dodgers in this game, even if our model doesn't outright offer predictions in this market.
You'll find this on FanDuel, both within the Cubs-Dodgers game, and under the "Skubal's Debut" tab. It will cash if Skubal retires the first six batters of the game and no one reaches base in any way.
As we've mentioned, Skubal projects to allow the fewest hits and collect the second-most strikeouts of any pitcher tonight. Through 16 starts this season, he's issued just 14 walks, with 7 of his starts featuring no walks.
Except for leadoff man Pete Crow-Armstrong, the top of Chicago's lineup is righty-heavy, and Skubal has held righties to a .232 OBP, and he should enter this start eager to make an immediate impact on a title contender, especially in such an iconic venue.
If he cashes this bet, he's off to a good start on the other two featured props as well.
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Dave Garofolo uses sophisticated AI-driven analytics to make predictions and evaluate player performances in the NBA, MLB, NFL, NHL, NCAAM, and PGA TOUR tournaments, crafting insightful game and prop previews.
