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The Chicago Cubs, led by their offense, are off to a great start to the season in a tough National League Central division. Question marks surround their pitching, but this is a team that most expect to contend for the playoffs.
The Padres offense has struggled this season, and if it doesn’t get turned around quickly, they could be facing a mountain too steep to climb by the time we reach late May. This would be a great time for the Padres to get right offensively, as the Cubs have starting pitching issues.
How big of an effect will the Cubs blowing an eight-run lead last night have on this game?
These odds were updated at 7 am EST on 04/09/24, coming from Draft Kings.
Probable Pitchers: Joe Musgrove (Padres) – 1-1, 6.28 ERA vs Ben Brown (Cubs) – 0-0, 11.12 ERA
Apart from an impressive offensive showing against the Los Angeles Dodgers to win their opening game of 2024 in Japan and one standout performance against the Giants, the Padres have struggled on offense.
San Diego can’t even pin its issues on striking out—instead, there’s been no damage done when the ball has been put into play. Their Isolated Power rating of 148 places them near the middle of the league; however, two isolated performances artificially increase this figure. Check out our best baseball betting sites; we give you all the information you need to find the right sportsbook for you!
Ben Brown, indeed, has not shown himself as one of those Cubs starters who can get it done, a lot of questions surround Brown.
At this point in the season, the Padres rank fifth in ground ball rate among all MLB teams, which could work in Brown’s favour given their strong defense behind him.
Joe Musgrove has struggled so far this season and the Padres need him to get right quickly.
It is hard to dispute this Cubs offense right now, which could be among the best in baseball. Their ability to hit for power should cause Darvish’s gopher ball issues to manifest more prominently than ever. At the same time, I think Assad remains in a great spot despite some question marks, with solid infield defense (even better with Nick Madrigal starting) protecting him against ground balls produced by San Diego that should not hurt him at all.
The Cubs’ money line: Hit it hard! The Padres’ offense has struggled lately, but the Cubs starter pitched well in his last appearance. He should be set up for six solid innings tonight, and the Cubs’ offense should be able to score early in this game.
The over/under of eight is tricky, I love the Cubs to pull off the upset, but this run line is worrisome because I think the Padres will have trouble scoring runs. I see a 5-1 Cubs win, but I would steer clear of this over/under. I would lean towards the over, though, because I think the Cubs could explode on Darvish. I will go with a slight lean to the over. We have a great guide to the best Baseball betting apps for betting on Baseball, and nothing is more important than knowing which apps to use to bet on Baseball.
The Cubs won the regular season series 4-3 last season. In the first game between these teams this season the Cubs blew an 8-0 lead and lost the game to the Padres 9-8 as the Padres got back in the game by scoring seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Padres are struggling on offense and I think the Cubs have a distinct advantage with starting pitching tonight. I look for the Cubs to score early and often and slowly pull away from the Padres. We got you covered if you are looking for the best MLB betting sites, we will give you the rundown on all the best sites so you can get the best bang for your buck.
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