The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs will battle it out in the second of a three-game series Wednesday night. The Cubs took the first game 6-0. Wednesday’s matchup will be played at Wrigley Field, with first pitch scheduled for 7:40 pm ET.
The Cubs are the favorites in this one playing at home. They are -112 to win, while the Padres’ moneyline sits at -104. The runline features San Diego +1.5 (-188), and the over/under for total runs is eight (-110).
Padres Look To Even Up Series Wednesday
At 12-13, it has not been the greatest start to the season for the Padres. Still, they sit within a couple games of first place in the NL West and will look to get back to .500 overall with a road win Wednesday. This season, they are 7-5 as the away team.
Taking the mound for San Diego will be veteran righty, Michael Wacha. In four games, he is 2-1 but has a miserable 7.08 ERA, 1.72 WHIP, and has 18 strikeouts in 20.1 innings. Wacha took a no-decision in his last start after giving up five runs on 10 hits over four innings against the Diamondbacks.
Offensively, shortstop Xander Bogaerts has gotten off to the best start for San Diego. In 91 at bats, he is hitting .330/.421/.538 with a team-leading five home runs, 12 runs batted in, and 17 runs scored.
Against the Cubs, Drew Smyly, Bogaerts, Nelson Cruz, and Juan Soto all have homered off the southpaw in their careers.
As a unit, San Diego has struggled offensively. They rank 24th in scoring, averaging just 3.83 runs per game.
Cubs Keep Rolling, Look For Series Win
Despite being picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the NL Central, the Chicago Cubs have gotten off to a strong start this season and are trying to prove it is for real. After taking the first game of this series 6-0, they will try to secure a series win if they can take Wednesday’s game.
In Tuesday’s opening win, it was catcher Yan Gomes with the biggest night of them all. He went four for four with a home run, three runs batted in, and two runs scored. Aside from Gomes, the Cubs only managed three other hits.
On the season, Patrick Wisdom has gotten off to the best start. In 80 at bats, he is hitting .250/.318/.663 with a team-leading nine home runs and 18 runs batted in.
The Cubs rank third in scoring (5.76 runs per game) and seventh in opponents runs per game (3.90).
On the mound Wednesday will be 33-year-old lefty, Drew Smyly. In four games, he is 4-1 with a 3.13 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and he has 23 strikeouts in 23 innings.
Smyly took a no-hitter into the eighth inning of his last start against the Dodgers. In total, he finished allowing no runs on one hit over 7.2 innings while striking out 10.
Take Chicago To Win At Home
While the Padres’ offense is elite when clicking, it is hard to bet against the Cubs right now. They are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and they are sending out a pitcher who flirted with a perfect game in his last outing.
While it is hard to envision Smyly pitching to that level again, he is a savvy veteran who knows how to limit the damage and keep his team in the game.
For that reason, take Chicago to win this one straight up (-112) and to secure a series victory.
