The betting market around Cubs Vs Dodgers offered a clear clue before first pitch on Wednesday, August 5: the larger wagers were leaning toward Los Angeles, even with the Chicago Cubs listed as a modest home favorite at -118. DraftKings Sportsbook betting splits pointed to a sharp divide between where the tickets landed and where the handle landed, and that gap is usually the part worth watching.
Chicago entered with Shota Imanaga on the mound against Eric Lauer, but the numbers suggested the public view and the bigger-money view were not telling the same story. On the Run Line and Moneyline, the handle percentages were more supportive of the Los Angeles side than the ticket count might have indicated, which is why this market drew attention before the game even began.
Where the money landed
The clearest signal came on the Run Line, where 90% of the handle backed Dodgers +1.5. That kind of split matters because it suggests the larger wagers were not afraid to take the cushion with Los Angeles rather than simply follow the home favorite.
The Moneyline also tilted toward the Dodgers in handle terms, with 68% of the money on Los Angeles while 64% of tickets followed the same side. The gap was not as dramatic as on the Run Line, but it still reinforced the same idea: bigger wagers were leaning Dodgers before the first pitch.
The total was set at 9.5, and the split there was far closer. The Under drew 51% of the tickets and 84% of the handle, a much stronger signal that larger bets were positioning for a lower-scoring game than the market’s total might have suggested.
Why the split matters
Betting splits do not predict a result on their own, but they do show where respected money is concentrating. In this case, the pattern was fairly consistent across the board: the Cubs were the modest home favorite at -118, yet the largest wagers leaned toward Los Angeles on both the Moneyline and the Run Line.
That does not automatically make the Dodgers the better side, but it does show why the market discussion before Cubs Vs Dodgers centered on handle rather than tickets. When the handle is moving one direction and the crowd is leaning another, the difference is usually the most interesting part of the story.
For readers tracking DraftKings Sportsbook betting splits, the message was simple. The Cubs were favored, but the bigger money was more comfortable backing the Dodgers +1.5, and the total market also showed a strong preference for the Under. Before a pitch was thrown, that was the clearest read available.
