
Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks: Padres vs. Cubs 9/30/25
San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs
September 29, 2025 3:08 pm EDT
Major League Baseball presents Draftkings baseball fans with a National League playoff matchup featuring the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs. Let’s take a look at this MLB game from a DFS perspective.
Before we dive into the San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs game let’s review the rules for the Draftkings MLB single game showdown contest.
Draftkings Single Game Showdown Contest Rules
You have $50,000 to utilize on five players from either team. However, one of those players will be designated as your team captain. The captain accumulates 1.5 times the standard fantasy points. Additionally, the captain is 1.5 times the standard cost of the flex position.
The remaining four players in your lineup will receive the standard fantasy points. Having stated that, it is highly important for you to identify the correct player for your captain position if you hope to win a large field DFS GPP (guaranteed prize pool) showdown contest.
If you have additional questions regarding the rules for the single game showdown contest, I recommend that you check out the Draftkings website for more details.
*I recommend that all readers review the starting lineups for both teams prior to setting your DFS lineup for this one game slate.
Here are my Draftkings picks for tomorrow afternoon’s Padres vs. Cubs matchup.
Draftkings MLB Showdown Picks
Captain-Nick Pivetta, Starting Pitcher, San Diego Padres $11,600
On Tuesday afternoon, Major League Baseball presents the opening game of a three-game National League series featuring the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs.
How are these two teams playing entering tomorrow’s MLB playoff game? The San Diego Padres arrive at the first game of this three-game series with the Chicago Cubs playing good baseball. More specifically, the Padres have won seven of the team’s last eight games played in the 2025 MLB regular season, including a 7-0 shutout victory over the Milwaukee Brewers last week.
Similar to the San Diego Padres, the Chicago Cubs are playing quality baseball entering the opening game of this National League playoff series. The Cubs have won four of the team’s last five games played this season, including a 7-3 win over the St. Louis Cardinals four days ago.
Now that we have determined how both of these teams are currently playing let’s shift our focus to tomorrow afternoon’s playoff game. Starting pitcher Nick Pivetta has undoubtedly been a standout performer for the San Diego Padres this season. Having stated that, how has the talented pitcher performed from a data standpoint? Let’s review Pivetta’s relevant statistical data from the 2025 MLB regular season to answer that question.
In 31 starts made for the San Diego Padres this season, starting pitcher Nick Pivetta has amassed a rather impressive 13-5 (win-loss record), a 2.87 ERA (Earned Run Average) and a 0.99 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched) which ranks fifth in MLB. It should also be noted that Pivetta has compiled 190 strikeouts (16th in MLB) while allowing 50 walks in 181.2 innings pitched this season.
More recently, in the San Diego Padres 12-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins last month, Nick Pivetta pitched five quality innings while scattering four hits and one walk.
In my view, Nick Pivetta is the most likely player to post the most Draftkings points in tomorrow’s MLB playoff game. With that said, I am backing San Diego Padres starting pitcher Nick Pivetta at the captain position for this one game MLB DFS slate.
Flex plays I like to play well in this MLB playoff game (Draftkings price noted): Matthew Boyd, Starting Pitcher (Chicago Cubs) $10,600: Fernando Tatis Jr., Third Baseman (San Diego Padres) $9,200: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Outfielder (Chicago Cubs) $8,000.