The San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs meet Friday in MLB action from Wrigley Field. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Cubs vs Padres Prediction.
Starting Pitching Matchup
The San Diego Padres will send out Randy Vasquez for the start here and Vasquez is 0-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 3 strikeouts this season. This will be Vasquez’s second career start against the Cubs. The Chicago Cubs will start Shota Imanaga here and Imanaga is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 6 strikeouts this season. This will be Imanaga’s second career start against the Padres.
San Diego Padres Recap
The San Diego Padres come into this game with a 7-0 record after a second straight series sweep to start the year, picking up a 5-2 win over the Guardians last time out. After this series, the Padres will head back west for a series against the Athletics.
Padres Looking To Stay Unbeaten
Fernando Tatis Jr. leads the Padres with 11 hits and a .423 batting average while Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill each have 10 hits, with Machado logging 3 doubles while Merrill has a team-high 2 home runs and 8 RBIs. Gavin Sheets and Xander Bogaerts each have a pair of doubles as well this season with Sheets logging 5 RBIs as well this season.
Why the San Diego Padres will win
- The Cubs have lost each of their last eight games against the Padres following a win.
- The Padres have won each of their last seven games.
- The Padres have covered the run line each of their last seven road games against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- The Cubs have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six day games against NL West opponents following a win.
San Diego Padres Player Prop Facts
- Martin Maldonado has hit a home run in each of his last three appearances against opponents that held a winning record.
- Jose Iglesias has recorded a Double in each of his last four appearances in road openers.
- Luis Campusano has scored at least one run in each of his last four road appearances after not playing the previous day.
- Jose Iglesias has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 appearances in day games against teams that held a winning record.
- Jose Iglesias has recorded at least one Single in each of his last 11 appearances in day games against teams that held a winning record.
- Gavin Sheets has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last four appearances against NL Central opponents that held a winning record.
- Fernando Tatis Jr. ranks T2nd in the league in Hits (11) this season.
Chicago Cubs Recap
The Chicago Cubs will be out to add on to their series sweep over the Athletics thanks to a 10-2 win in Wednesday’s series finale to improve to 5-4 on the year. After this series, the Cubs will welcome the Texas Rangers to town.
Cubs Trying To Hand Padres First Loss To Extend Win Streak
Kyle Tucker leads the Cubs with 12 hits including team-highs of 5 doubles, 4 home runs and 11 RBIs while Seiya Suzuki also has 11 hits with a pair of doubles and 4 home runs and 11 RBIs of his own. Miguel Amaya’s added 4 doubles and 7 RBIs and Dansby Swanson and Pete Crow-Armstrong have each contributed 3 doubles as well this season with Swanson belting a pair of home runs and 6 RBIs. Suzuki also has the unfortunate distinction of leading the Cubs with 17 strikeouts so far this season.
Why the Chicago Cubs will win
- The home team has won each of the Padres’ last eight games.
- The Padres have lost each of their last six games against the Cubs following a home win.
- The Padres have failed to cover the run line in each of their last six games against the Cubs following a home win.
- The home team has covered the run line in each of the Padres’ last five games.
Chicago Cubs Player Prop Facts
- Nico Hoerner has recorded a Double in each of the Cubs’ last three games as home favorites against NL West opponents.
- Kyle Tucker has hit a home run in four of the Cubs’ last five games.
- Kyle Tucker has scored at least one run in eight of his last nine appearances with his team as a favorite against NL West opponents.
- Shota Imanaga has recorded six or more strikeouts in seven of his last eight appearances at Wrigley Field.
- Justin Turner has recorded at least one RBI in each of his last four appearances with his team as a home favorite.
- Shota Imanaga has recorded a win in seven of his last eight appearances.
- Justin Turner has recorded at least one hit in each of his last 11 appearances with his team as a home favorite against NL West opponents.
- Justin Turner has recorded at least one Single in each of his last 11 appearances with his team as a home favorite against NL West opponents.
- Kyle Tucker ranks 1st in the league in Hits (12) this season.
Total Runs Facts
- Seven of the Cubs’ last eight day games against National League opponents have gone UNDER the total runs line.
- Five of the Padres’ last six day games against NL Central opponents have gone OVER the total runs line.
Cubs vs Padres Prediction
I’m on the Cubs here. I think that while the Padres’ start to the season is something to be excited about if you’re a Padres fan, the fact is that you’re still relying on Randy Vasquez to be a contributing member of this rotation. In reality, he’s a #5 starter or long relief arm at best. Shota Imanaga is one of the best pitchers in the national league in just his second season in the majors, and I think that Imanaga delivers another gem and gets the win in this one. Give me Chicago here to hand the Padres their first L of the season.