Trudging through their longest losing skid this season, the Chicago Cubs will welcome the San Diego Padres in on Monday night. When these teams last met, a little over a month ago, the Cubbies got going after a rough patch, taking two of three in San Diego.
The Cubs (23-36) are losers of their last six. Against the New York Yankees Sunday, they dropped an 18-4 decision, giving up 17 hits and four home runs. The slide surely hasn’t helped them in the MLB standings, as Chicago sits in fourth place in the National League Central, 10 games behind St. Louis.
San Diego (37-24) is coming off a series split with Colorado. The Padres fell short in the last two games of that set. This four-game bill with the Cubs is the beginning of a short road trip for a team that’s done well away from Petco Park.
Right fielder Jose Azocar has particularly enjoyed his stay in different cities, hitting .308 in 39 plate appearances as a visitor. Third baseman Manny Machado and catcher Jorge Alfaro also have averages above .300 on the road.
Machado has been a key part of the San Diego offense, with a top 10 average at the dish and a team-leading 37 RBIs. He’s been the brightest spot, as the crew is collectively swinging for a .224 average, the fourth-worst in the NL.
Padres at Cubs Odds
MLB odds lean toward the Padres to continue having success in unfamiliar digs. San Diego is -1.5 on the run line at +125, while the Cubs are -150 to cover the spread.
On the moneyline, the Padres are -132 and Chicago a +112 underdog. The total has been set at 8.5 runs, with the over being -114 and the under -106 at the time of this writing.
MLB betting trends show that the Cubs are a middle-of-the-road team in terms of hitting. Catcher Willson Contreras paces the group with a .394 on-base percentage, while third baseman Patrick Wisdom has a dozen homers and 31 RBIs.
Center fielder Ian Happ has done a good job at Wrigley Field so far in this campaign, racking up 31 knocks in 96 at-bats. First baseman Frank Schwindel and Wisdom are the only Cubs batters to have more runs driven at home than Happ this year.
Chicago’s pitching staff has a lot of room for improvement. Only four MLB teams have higher than their 4.59 ERA, and opponents have gone yard against them 12 times in the last week.
Matchup Information
Padres at Cubs Betting Preview
Left-hander Justin Steele is scheduled to make the start on the mound for the home team. In total, he has a 1-5 record, but in his last time out, against St. Louis, he turned in a relatively good day of work.
In his lengthiest outing of the season thus far, he went seven innings, allowing two runs, one of which were earned.
For the Padres, 35-year-old Yu Darvish – a former Cub – will take the ball. His 1.01 WHIP is among the lowest in the major leagues, and he’s 5-3 to this point. He blanked the New York Mets last Tuesday in what was his fourth shutout effort of at least six innings in 11 starts this year.
Padres at Cubs Picks and Predictions
While you can’t fully count out the Cubs, who have already shown recently that they can turn their fortunes against San Diego, there’s a reason that the Padres are keeping up with Los Angeles.
San Diego has a 3.31 team ERA, which is the second-best in the NL, behind only the Dodgers. Hitters like Machado and first baseman Eric Hosmer will help power past Chicago, whose losing streak will extend by another day.
With these MLB picks today, the Padres will put the end of their last slate behind them. When betting on baseball today, go with San Diego to cover the spread.
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