Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres Preview
At 7:40 PM from Wrigley Field in Chicago, we have an NL matchup between the Padres and Cubs. Heading into Tuesday’s game, the Padres are 19-19 compared to the Cubs at 21-15. The over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and the Cubs are the favorite at -148.
Shota Imanaga is starting for the Cubs, and he is facing off against Randy Vasquez for the Padres. You can catch this one on TV on MLB Network.
Check out BetCoco for Chicago Cubs – San Diego Padres odds
Chicago Cubs Trends and Key Stats
- Across their last five road games, the Padres are 3-2. This includes going 3-2 vs. the runline.
- On the other side, the Cubs have gone 2-3 (SU) and 2-3 in their previous five home contests.
- Over their last ten games as the favorite, the Cubs have a straight-up record of 5-5, while going 3-7 against the runline.
- Over their previous ten games as the underdog, the Padres have a straight-up record of 4-6 and a 4-6 record vs. the runline.
San Diego picked up a 6-3 road win over the Cubs in the most recent game of this series. The Padres offense got off to a fast start, scoring six runs in the first two innings, and the Cubs could only muster one run until they scored their final two runs in the 7th. Heading into the game, the Padres were the slight favorites at -106.
Yu Darvish only went five innings for the Padres but didn’t give up a run and finished with five strikeouts. He picked up a win in the game, while Robert Suarez got the save. Richard Lovelady took the loss for the Cubs out of the bullpen.
Luis Campusano, Donovan Solano, and Jake Cronenworth each had two hits and an RBI for the Padres’ offense. Xander Bogaerts also had a two-hit game and scored a run for San Diego.
Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres Prediction
The Padres are at .500 with a record of 19-19 as they are on the road today vs. the Cubs. San Diego is 5.5 games behind the Dodgers for the NL West lead, and they are 10-9 in divisional matchups this year. The Padres dropped the first two games of this series vs. the Cubs but bounced back to win the most recent game.
At home, the Padres have gone just 8-12 this year, but they have been better on the road at 11-7. As the underdog, the Padres have won two straight games, and they are 7-4 as the road underdog this year. San Diego’s overall series record is 6-5-2, and they have won two straight series.
San Diego has been a solid run line bet on the road this season, going 14-4 against the run line. The Padres have an average run differential of +1.6 runs per game on the road, compared to -0.7 runs per game at home. San Diego has been a better run line bet as the underdog, going 10-5 against the run line in those games.
The San Diego Padres have been a consistent over team this season, with a 21-16 over/under record. Their games have averaged 9.8 runs per game, and their over/under record when the line is set at 8.5 runs is 8-4. Overall, the Padres have played in 55.3% of their games with over/under lines set below 8.5 runs. They have hit the over in their last three games, with those games averaging 12 runs per game.
Randy Vásquez and the Padres are on the road to take on the Cubs today. Vásquez is coming off a no-decision in his first start of the season, where he went 2 2/3 innings and gave up 4 runs on 6 hits. He did have 2 strikeouts in that outing.
San Diego has been one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, as they are 4th in runs per game (5.1), and are the top-scoring team in the league when playing on the road. As a team, they are batting .261, which is the 2nd best mark in the league, and they are also 5th in team home runs. The Padres have a few guys on some nice hitting streaks right now, with Jurickson Profar and Fernando Tatis Jr. both having hit safely in four straight games.
Jake Cronenworth has been swinging a hot bat of late, going 9/23 in his last five games with two homers and five RBIs. For the season, he is batting .285 with six homers, which is 2nd on the team. Jurickson Profar and Jake Cronenworth are 1st and 2nd on the team in RBIs, with 25 and 25, respectively.
Chicago is hosting the Padres today with an overall record of 21-15, which has them tied with the Brewers for the NL Central lead. The Cubs are 2-1 in divisional games this year and have gone 12-5 at home compared to 9-10 on the road.
The Cubs are just 4-6 over their last 10 games and have an overall series record of 6-3-2 this year. As the favorite, the Cubs are 9-5 this season and 6-4 as the home favorite. As for their record as the underdog, the Cubs are 12-10.
So far this season, the Cubs have been a solid bet against the run line, going 23-13. They have been especially profitable on the road, going 13-6. They have also been a good bet as the underdog, going 17-5. The Cubs have an average run margin of +0.4 runs per game this season.
Today’s over/under line for the Cubs game against the Padres is 8.5 runs. This season, the Cubs have played in 35 games with an average combined run total of 9.1 runs per game. Their over/under record for the season is 16-19, and when the line is set at 8.5 runs, their record is 5-3. Overall, 22.2% of their games have had higher over/under lines than 8.5 runs.
Shota Imanaga gets the start for the Cubs today and comes in with a record of 5-0 and an ERA of 0.78. He has made six starts this season and has turned in four quality starts. Imanaga’s WHIP for the season is 0.75, and opponents are batting .171 this season. In his last outing, Imanaga didn’t allow a run and picked up the win, going seven innings of work. He has won each of his last four starts. The left-hander has been especially tough on the road, coming in with a 0.47 ERA compared to 1.0 at home.
Chicago’s offense is averaging 4.8 runs per game this season, which is 9th in the league. They have been even better at home, averaging 5.4 runs per contest. Overall, the Cubs are 7th in home runs and have the 11th best isolated power mark in the league. Heading into today’s game, Nico Hoerner and Christopher Morel are both on nice hitting streaks, with Hoerner hitting .360 over his last six games and Morel batting .250 over the same stretch.
Morel is the Cubs’ leader in home runs this season, with eight, but he is batting just .220 for the year. Michael Busch has been a solid run producer for the Cubs, as his 18 RBIs are 2nd on the team and 14th in the league. Busch also has six homers this season, which is 6th in the league.
Our pick for today’s Padres vs. Cubs matchup is to take the Cubs on the money line at -148. We have the Cubs winning this one by a final score of 6-5. Looking at the starting pitchers, our projections have Shota Imanaga finishing with seven strikeouts, which is fourth-best among today’s starters.
If you’re looking for a starting pitcher to finish with the most strikeouts today, our projections have the Padres’ starter, Randy Vasquez, finishing with eight K’s. However, we still have Vasquez’s chances of picking up a win as average.
Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres Betting Tips
- Take the Cubs on the moneyline
- On the run line we like the Padres (+1.5)
- Projecting a combined 11 runs, we like the over
Chicago Cubs Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Drew Smyly | Out | Hip |
| Cody Bellinger | Out | Ribs |
| Kyle Hendricks | Out | Back |
| Seiya Suzuki | Out | Oblique |
| Julian Merryweather | Out | Back |
| Caleb Kilian | Out | Teres Major |
| Jordan Wicks | Out | Forearm |
San Diego Padres Injury Report
| Player | Status | Injury |
|---|---|---|
| Joe Musgrove | Out | Elbow |
| Luis Patiño | Out | Elbow |
| Glenn Otto | Out | Shoulder |
| Tucupita Marcano | Out | Knee |
