The Chicago Cubs (25-31) and San Diego Padres (26-31) meet Saturday for the 2nd of a 4-game series. First pitch from Petco Park is set for 10:10 p.m. ET (FS1). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Cubs vs. Padres odds and make our expert MLB picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Cubs lead 1-0
Chicago won 2-0 as +160 road underdogs Friday in Game 1 of this series. Chicago got off to a 1-0 lead thanks to an RBI by LF Ian Happ in the 3rd inning. The Cubs would add to their lead thanks to a 5th-inning HR by SS Dansby Swanson.
Chicago has now won 3 of its last 5, and the Padres are now 2-3 in their last 5. Chicago has a 10-15 road record while the Padres have a 12-16 home record and are 2-5 in their last 7 home games.
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Cubs at Padres projected starters
LHP Drew Smyly vs. RHP Yu Darvish
Smyly (5-2, 3.45 ERA) makes his 12th start. He has a 1.05 WHIP, 2.1 BB/9 and 8.0 K/9 through 60 IP.
- Last outing: Loss, 4 2/3 IP, 5 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K, in a 8-5 home loss Sunday vs. Cincinnati Reds
- Career vs. San Diego: 1-1 with a 2.38 ERA (22 2/3 IP, 6 ER), 12 H, 3 HR, 6 BB, 26 K across 5 appearances (3 starts)
Darvish (3-4, 4.61 ERA) makes his 11th start. He has a 1.20 WHIP, 2.7 BB/9 and 9.4 K/9 through 56 2/3 IP.
- Last outing: Loss, 2 2/3 IP, 7 ER, 7 H, 0 BB, 2 K, in a 10-7 road loss Sunday vs. New York Yankees
- Career vs. Chicago: 1-2 with a 2.33 ERA (19 1/3 IP, 5 ER), 10 H, 2 HR, 6 BB, 24 K through 3 starts
Cubs at Padres odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 9:20 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Cubs +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Padres -175 (bet $175 to win $100)
- Run line (RL)/Against the spread (ATS): Cubs +1.5 (-145) | Padres -1.5 (+120)
- Over/Under (O/U): 8 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Cubs at Padres picks and predictions
Prediction
Padres 4, Cubs 3
Moneyline
PASS.
I like the Padres to win this game, but at -175 the line here is simply not worth the juice. Bet on the run line and/or O/U.
Run line/Against the spread
BET CUBS +1.5 (-145).
The Cubs have been solid against the Padres as of late, with a 5-1 record in the last 6 meetings in San Diego. Couple that with the Padres’ home struggles recently, and you’ve got a recipe for the Cubs to at least make this a close game even if they don’t win.
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Over/Under
BET UNDER 8 (-115).
For Chicago the Under is 4-0 in their last 4 overall and 4-0-1 in Smyly’s last 5 starts after allowing 2 or less runs in the previous game. For San Diego, the Under is 4-0 in their last 4 Saturday games and 4-0 in Darvish’s last 4 home starts.
The Under is also 5-0 in the last 5 meetings overall.
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