When the Chicago Cubs walked off Dodger Stadium on Friday night with a 6-4 victory — their 10th straight win — they looked like the hottest team in baseball. Less than 24 hours later, Los Angeles reminded everyone why they're the defending champions. Now, with Sunday's rubber match set for 4:10 p.m. ET, the question isn't just who wins Game 3. It's which version of each team actually shows up.
This three-game series has delivered everything a baseball fan could want: a momentum-building Cubs victory, a dominant Dodgers response, and now a Sunday pitching duel that could legitimately go either way. According to CBS Sports, both Sunday starters have combined to allow just five earned runs across 44 innings in April — a statistic that makes this matchup genuinely appointment television.
How We Got Here: The Series Breakdown
The Cubs came into Dodger Stadium riding the kind of winning streak that turns a promising April into a season-defining stretch. Ten consecutive wins had pushed Chicago to 16-10, with the club suddenly looking like a legitimate National League contender rather than a team still finding its footing.
Game 1 on Friday validated that narrative. The Cubs beat the Dodgers 6-4, with Chicago's lineup doing enough damage early to hold off a Los Angeles comeback. The win pushed the streak to 10 — matching one of the best runs in baseball so far this season — and left Cubs fans wondering just how far this team could go.
Then came Saturday.
The Dodgers answered with the kind of performance that explains why, even in a down stretch, Los Angeles remains the standard in the National League. A 12-4 blowout wasn't just a win — it was a statement. The six-run fourth inning buried Chicago early, and the Cubs never recovered. The series now heads to a decisive Game 3, with both clubs carrying something to prove.
Saturday's Turning Point: What the 12-4 Rout Actually Revealed
The final score was lopsided, but the details of Game 2 tell a more nuanced story about where both teams stand heading into Sunday.
For the Dodgers, the most meaningful moment may have been Shohei Ohtani's leadoff single — his first hit after an 0-for-12 slump. When the best player in baseball has been scuffling, even a single carries outsized significance. It resets the mental ledger, and for a Dodgers lineup that had been showing uncharacteristic struggles, it mattered that Ohtani got going in a big spot.
Teoscar Hernandez provided the firepower. He went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, including a two-RBI single during the pivotal six-run fourth inning that effectively ended the game as a competitive contest. Hernandez has been quietly one of the most consistent run producers in the Dodgers lineup this season, and Saturday was a reminder of why Los Angeles invested in keeping him.
Roki Sasaki earned his first win of the season, going five innings while allowing four runs on seven hits. It wasn't dominant, but it was enough — which is sometimes all a starting pitcher needs when his offense scores 12 runs. Max Muncy hit his ninth home run of the season despite reportedly feeling ill, though Muncy will sit out Sunday's game to recover. That's a meaningful absence in a rubber match.
The Dodgers have now scored in double digits a major league-leading five times this season. That kind of offensive ceiling is why Los Angeles is impossible to count out, even when they've been inconsistent.
Sunday's Pitching Matchup: Two of April's Best Starters
The rubber match sets up a genuinely elite pitching duel, and that context matters when evaluating how this game will likely be won or lost.
For Chicago, Shota Imanaga (2-1, 2.17 ERA) takes the mound. The left-hander has been one of the Cubs' most reliable arms since arriving from Japan, and his April numbers reflect a pitcher operating with real command and confidence. Imanaga doesn't overpower hitters — he outsmarts them, mixing his pitches and locating to both sides of the plate with precision. A 2.17 ERA in April isn't a fluke; it's the product of consistent mechanics and smart sequencing.
The Dodgers counter with Justin Wrobleski (3-0, 1.88 ERA), who has been, statistically, one of the best starting pitchers in baseball this month. A 1.88 ERA through his first several outings is the kind of number that would make Wrobleski a household name if he were pitching in a bigger market. He's done it with a mix of command and a willingness to attack the strike zone — the same traits that define successful young starters.
Combined, Imanaga and Wrobleski have allowed just five earned runs in 44 innings this April. Put differently: if this game produces five total earned runs, it would match the combined April total of both starting pitchers. Offense will need to earn every run on Sunday.
This is also notable context: per AZ Central's odds and predictions breakdown, this is the first game all year the Dodgers are not run-line favorites — a reflection of Imanaga's quality and the Cubs' overall form, even after Saturday's loss.
Roster Concerns: The Injury and Lineup Picture
No game preview is complete without accounting for who won't be playing, and Sunday has a few notable absences shaping the strategic picture.
For the Dodgers, Will Smith remains out with an injury — a significant blow to a lineup that depends on Smith's on-base ability and run production. Kyle Tucker has also been dropped again in the batting order, a sign that the coaching staff is still searching for consistency from the outfielder. Muncy sitting out after his home run performance Saturday adds another variable. The full Dodgers lineup situation reflects a club dealing with the accumulated wear of a long season, even in April.
These absences matter in a low-scoring pitching duel. When both starters are capable of keeping lineups off the scoreboard, the depth and health of your bench and lineup construction becomes amplified. A team that's missing two of its best hitters — Smith and a diminished Muncy — has less margin for error against a pitcher like Imanaga.
The Cubs, for their part, are away from home (6-5 on the road despite winning 10 of their last 11 games) but come in with the psychological reset that sometimes follows a blowout loss. Getting hammered 12-4 clears the slate in a strange way — there's no overthinking a game that wasn't close. Chicago will simply go out and play.
The Bigger Picture: What This Series Means for Both Teams
Zoom out from the box scores and this series is actually a microcosm of two franchises at different moments in their trajectories.
The Dodgers (18-9) are the defending champions navigating a stretch that, by their standards, looks like a rough patch. They've lost five of their last eight games and are trying to avoid losing their third consecutive series. For a team with this roster, that kind of skid is more about getting right than any structural problem — but the pressure of a rubber match against a hot opponent is real. The Dodgers are 10-4 at home, which is their strongest argument for Sunday's outcome.
The Cubs (17-10) are doing something genuinely interesting. Their 10-game winning streak — now snapped — wasn't built on smoke and mirrors. It reflected a team that found a way to win close games, manufacture runs, and get timely pitching. One blowout loss doesn't erase that. At 17-10, Chicago is well ahead of where most projections had them entering the season, and even a series split at Dodger Stadium (which is what losing the rubber match would represent) would not diminish what they've built in April.
The stakes for Game 3 are clear: the Dodgers are protecting home turf and trying to stop a concerning trend. The Cubs are proving their winning streak wasn't a mirage.
If you're following multiple games today, the Mets are playing a doubleheader against the Rockies and the Yankees and Astros are wrapping up their own series — a loaded Sunday of baseball across the majors.
Analysis: Why This Game Is Harder to Call Than It Looks
On paper, the Dodgers have the home field edge, the better run differential, and a pitcher with a lower ERA. But several factors make Sunday genuinely unpredictable.
First, the pitching matchup is so evenly matched that neither team can reasonably expect to win by more than two or three runs. That compression means lineup construction, bullpen depth, and situational hitting become decisive — areas where the Cubs have actually been excellent during their winning streak.
Second, the psychological dimension cuts both ways. The Dodgers will be motivated by the need to stop a series-loss trend. The Cubs will be motivated by the desire to prove Saturday was an aberration. Neither team is playing loose.
Third, Wrobleski's undefeated April record is genuinely impressive, but 3-0 with a 1.88 ERA raises the question of regression. The Cubs are a good offensive team. Imanaga has faced comparable lineups and consistently delivered — he's not a surprise at this point.
My read: the Cubs' road struggles (6-5 away) compared to the Dodgers' home dominance (10-4) is probably the decisive tiebreaker in a game this close. Wrobleski gets the edge in a pitchers' duel, and the Dodgers avoid losing the series at home. But if the Cubs scratch two runs before the fifth inning, their bullpen should be capable of holding it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time is the Cubs vs. Dodgers Game 3 on Sunday, April 26?
First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET (3:10 p.m. CT) at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Check your local listings for broadcast information.
Who is pitching for the Cubs and Dodgers in Game 3?
Left-hander Shota Imanaga (2-1, 2.17 ERA) starts for Chicago, while left-hander Justin Wrobleski (3-0, 1.88 ERA) takes the mound for Los Angeles. Both pitchers have been among the best starters in baseball during April, combining to allow just five earned runs in 44 innings this month.
Did the Cubs' 10-game winning streak really end in a blowout?
Yes. After extending their streak to 10 games with a 6-4 win on Friday, the Cubs lost Game 2 on Saturday 12-4. The Dodgers broke the game open with a six-run fourth inning, with Teoscar Hernandez delivering a key two-RBI single and Roki Sasaki earning his first win of the season. Shohei Ohtani also snapped an 0-for-12 slump with a leadoff single in that game.
Is Shohei Ohtani playing Sunday?
Ohtani is expected to be in the Dodgers lineup for Game 3. He broke out of an 0-for-12 slump in Saturday's 12-4 win, which is an encouraging sign heading into the rubber match. Will Smith remains out with an injury, and Max Muncy will sit out Sunday after playing through illness in Game 2.
What are the Cubs' and Dodgers' records heading into Game 3?
The Dodgers enter Sunday at 18-9 overall and 10-4 at home. The Cubs are 17-10 overall and 6-5 on the road. Despite their winning streak being snapped, Chicago is still one of the better teams in the National League through the first month of the season.
Conclusion: A Series That's Delivered — And Has One More Swing Left
This Cubs-Dodgers series has been exactly what good regular-season baseball looks like: a team making a statement, a favorite pushing back, and a deciding game with genuine consequence. The Cubs proved something in their 10-game winning streak. The Dodgers proved something in their 12-4 demolition. Now a pitcher's duel between two of April's best starters will determine how the story ends.
For the Dodgers, Sunday is about more than one series. It's about reasserting their identity as a home-field dominant club that doesn't let opponents leave Los Angeles with a series win. For the Cubs, it's about demonstrating that their surge is real and that one bad night in the 80-degree LA sun doesn't define what they've built.
Both things can be true: the Dodgers are still the class of the NL, and the Cubs are legitimately good. Sunday afternoon will clarify just how much space exists between those two conclusions. With Imanaga and Wrobleski both dealing, the margin will be thin — and the team that gets one big hit in one big moment will likely be the team flying home with the series win.
