San Diego Padres vs Chicago Cubs Betting Pick & Prediction 5/8/24

The Cubs will be hosting the Padres today at Wrigley Field in Chicago, with first pitch for this National League matchup set for 2:20 PM ET. Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Cubs have a record of 22-15, while the Padres are 19-20. The over/under line is at 8.5 runs, and the Padres are the favorite on the money line at -125.

Wednesday’s starting pitching matchup features Dylan Cease for the Padres and Hayden Wesneski for the Cubs. You can catch this one on TV on MLB Network.

CHICAGO CUBS VS SAN DIEGO PADRES BETTING PICK

The Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline +104

This game will be played at Wrigley Field at 2:20 ET on Wednesday, May 8th.

HOW TO BET THE PADRES VS CUBS:

• We have the Cubs winning by a score of 6 to 5
• If you’re looking for a run line pick, we also like the Cubs to cover
• As for an over/under pick, we have this game finishing with 11 runs and like the over

Chicago picked up a 3-2 win over the Padres in the most recent game of this series. The Cubs had a two-run lead going into the 8th inning, and the Padres could only muster one run in the 9th. Heading into the game, the Cubs were favored at -169 on the money line.

Shota Imanaga got the start for the Cubs, going just seven innings but giving up just two hits and two earned runs. He finished the game with eight strikeouts but issued a costly home run. Hector Neris came out of the bullpen for the win.

Randy Vasquez only went 4 1/3 innings for the Padres, giving up five hits and one earned run. He did finish the game with six strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. Enyel De Los Santos took the loss.

Padres Records & Stats

San Diego is 19-20 overall this season and trail the Dodgers by 6.5 games in the NL West. The Padres are 10-9 against other teams in the NL West. The Padres are on the road today, and they are 11-8 on the road compared to 8-12 at home.

As the favorite, the Padres have gone 12-11 this year and 7-9 as the underdog. San Diego’s overall series record is 6-5-2, and they have won two straight series. The Padres are 5-5 in their last 10 games overall.

San Diego’s run line record is 21-18 this season, and they have been a good team to bet on the run line when they are on the road. They are 15-4 against the run line on the road this season, and they have covered the run line in two straight games. The Padres’ average run margin on the road is +1.4, compared to -0.7 at home. They have been a better bet against the run line as an underdog, going 11-5, compared to 10-13 as the favorite.

San Diego’s games have gone over the total in eight of their last 12 games, and their combined run average for the season is 9.7. However, the Padres have played to the under in 21 of their 38 games this season, and the average over/under line for their games is just 8 runs. Today’s over/under line is set at 8.5 runs, and the Padres have played to the over in eight of their 12 games when the line has been set at 8.5 runs this season.

San Diego is sending right-hander Dylan Cease to the mound today vs. the Cubs. Cease has made seven starts this year and has a record of 4-2. His ERA is an impressive 2.55, and Cease has a WHIP of 0.80. Opponents are batting just .141 off Cease this year. In his last outing, Cease went 6 2/3 innings, giving up just one earned run and picking up the win. Cease has won three straight starts. The right-hander has been especially tough on the road, coming in with a record of 3-0 and 1.78 ERA.

So far this season, the Padres have been one of the league’s best offenses, averaging 5 runs per game and batting a collective .261, which is the 2nd best mark in the league. They have also been a good power-hitting team, as they are 5th in home runs and have a slugging percentage of .409. The Padres have been even better on the road this season, averaging 5.5 runs per contest.

Jurickson Profar has been one of the Padres’ top hitters this season, batting .338 with 6 homers and 27 RBIs. He is also on a four-game hitting streak and has two home runs in his last six games. Jake Cronenworth and Profar have been swinging the bat well of late, with Cronenworth batting .370 over his last six games and Profar at .435. Cronenworth has two homers in this stretch, while Profar has gone deep twice.

Cubs Records & Stats

Chicago is hosting the Padres today with an overall record of 22-15, and they are 2nd in the NL Central, tied with the Brewers for the division lead. The Cubs and Brewers each have a 2-1 record in divisional games this year. So far, the Cubs have been really good at home, going 13-5 compared to 9-10 on the road.

The Cubs have been really good at home as the underdog this year, going 6-1. As the favorite, the Cubs are 10-5 this year, and their overall series record is 6-3-2. Chicago has split their last ten games and are 5-5 heading into today’s matchup vs. the Padres.

Chicago has been a solid run line bet this season, posting a 23-14 record. The Cubs have been particularly good on the road, going 13-6 against the run line. They have been even better as an underdog, going 17-5 against the run line. The Cubs have an average run differential of +0.4 runs per game this season, with a scoring margin of +1.9 runs per game at home.

The Chicago Cubs have had mixed results with the over/under line this season. Their games have averaged 9.0 runs per game, but their over/under record is 16-20. When the line has been set at 8.5 runs, they have gone 5-3 on the over/under. Overall, 54.1% of their games have had lower over/under lines than today’s 8.5-run total.

Hayden Wesneski will be making his first start of the season for the Cubs, as he has been used out of the bullpen in his first two appearances. In his last outing, he went 6 1/3 innings in a no-decision against the Brewers, striking out 8 and allowing 3 hits. He has a win in each of his first two outings, with his first win coming in a 4-inning outing against the Diamondbacks.

Over his last six games, Christopher Morel has gone 5/19 with four home runs, which gives him a team-high eight homers for the season. Morel’s 24 RBIs are also the best mark on the team and 10th in the league. Michael Busch is also in the top 15 in the league in RBIs, as his 19 RBIs are the second-best mark on the team.

For the season, the Cubs are averaging 4.7 runs per game, which is 11th in the league. They have been a better offensive team at home, averaging 5.2 runs per game. As a team, the Cubs are batting just .238, but they have been good at drawing walks and have the league’s 6th-ranked home run total.