Tied for having the fewest wins in the National League, the Chicago Cubs seek to sidestep a series sweep at the hands of the visiting San Diego Padres Thursday night.
In the first three games of this slate, the guests have plated over three times the number of runs that the Cubbies have. Not the most even of MLB matchups.
The Cubs (23-39) are toiling through a season-long nine-game losing slide. In three of their past four, they’ve allowed their opponent to pin up at least a dozen runs, which obviously won’t cut it. As it pertains to MLB standings, Chicago resides in fourth place in the NL Central, only half a game ahead of Cincinnati.
San Diego (40-24) got it going again in this bill after dropping two straight to Colorado. They’ve had the most success of any NL crew on the road, sporting a 23-11 mark. They lead the Los Angeles Dodgers by a half-game in the NL West.
Interestingly, if their offense improved some, the Padres have room to get better still. Third baseman Manny Machado has one of the best batting averages in the bigs (.322). He also has the most home runs (11) and RBIs (42) on the squad.
Catcher Jorge Alfaro has had a good go of it when away from Petco Park, hitting .319 in 14 games. Shortstop Jake Cronenworth and first baseman Eric Hosmer have raked against the Cubs this year. They’ve posted .421 batting averages or better to this point.
The pitching staff has been a help, as it has the second-lowest ERA (3.30) in the NL. That ranks behind only the division-rival Dodgers. The San Diego Padres’ 53 homers allowed are the third-least in the Senior Circuit.
Padres at Cubs Odds
In line with how things have gone as of late, MLB odds like the Padres to hand Chicago its 10th straight defeat. San Diego is -1.5 on the run line at -125, while the Cubs are +104 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Padres are -194 and Chicago a +162 underdog. The total has been set at ten runs, with the over being -104 and the under -115 at the time of this writing.
While the Cubs aren’t among the worst of hitting teams, MLB betting trends show that there’s a lot of room for improvement. As a whole, they’re swinging for a .242 batting average.
Of all regulars, center fielder Ian Happ is hitting a team-high .295. He has at least one knock in 12 of his last 13 contests. Of players with at least 13 plate appearances over the last week, backstop Yan Gomes has the team’s second-best batting average (.308).
Third baseman Patrick Wisdom has wielded the heaviest lumber at Wrigley Field, clubbing eight home runs this season. Catcher Willson Contreras has one less at home.
Matchup Information
Padres at Cubs Betting Preview
Joe Musgrove, a right-hander with a 7-0 record, will look to continue his stretch of success against a flailing Chicago Cubs group. His 1.50 ERA is the second-best in baseball, while his 0.93 WHIP also grades out in the MLB’s top 10.
Having pitched 27 innings over his last four outings, Musgrove has allowed only one earned run. Going into this one, he’s pitched two consecutive shutouts.
Rookie righty Matt Swarmer will go for Chicago. In three starts, he’s given up at least four runs twice. His last time out, at the New York Yankees, he allowed more home runs (6) than he had frames of work (5).
To this point, he’s turned in a 4.24 ERA.
San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs Picks and Predictions
This should be one of the more predictable MLB picks today. The Cubs just haven’t been able to put up much of a fight in this series, and San Diego will want to vault itself into its next series on a continued roll.
Betting on baseball today, take San Diego to cover the spread.
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