The Chicago Cubs head down south to sunny San Diego for a three game series with the Padres. The Cubs haven’t had much luck versus the Padres over the past few seasons winning just 7 of the last 20 meetings overall which includes just 3 of the last 11 in San Diego.
Head to Head Trends
Cubs are 3-8 in the last 11 meetings in San Diego.
Over is 4-0-1 in the last 5 meetings.
San Diego Padres (-126)
The San Diego Padres are 3rd in the National League West 6 games behind the 1st place LA Dodgers. I don’t really know what to think of the Padres this season, they can hit well averaging about 4.50 runs per game but their pitching has been pretty bad which is the total opposite from last season.
Starting for the Padres today is James Shields who is 5-0 with a 3.91 ERA on the season. Shields has obviously pitched very well this season but he has also been getting the run support. Shields did throw a lot of pitches in his last start and if you look back over the past couple seasons after throwing a lot of pitches it didn’t really effect him in a lot of starts but he also got knocked around in quite a few so it’s as good a chance as any to fade a top pitcher.
San Diego Padres Trends
Padres are 2-5 in their last 7 overall.
Padres are 2-6 in their last 8 home games vs. a team with a winning record.
Chicago Cubs (+116)
The Chicago Cubs are 2nd in the National league Central 3.5 games behind the 1st place St Louis Cardinals. Despite losing their last game the Cubs are still red hot winning 6 of their last 7 games outscoring their opponents 33-23.
On the hill for the Cubs today is Jason Hammel who is 3-1 with a 3.11 ERA on the season. Hammel has pitched great so far this season he has a whip under 1 which is always good but his worst outing of the season did come against the Padres so lets hope he gets a little payback today.
Chicago Cubs Trends
Cubs are 6-1 in their last 7 overall.
Cubs are 4-1 in Hammels last 5 road starts.
Conclusion
I like the Chicago Cubs over the Padres in this one. The Cubs are red hot right now winning 6 of their last 7 games plus there’s a bit of an unknown factor with Shields after throwing a lot of pitches in his last outing.
Free Pick: Chicago Cubs +116
