Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres Prediction: Will the Padres' Bats Get to Drew Smyly?
The Cubs and the Padres play game two of their three-game series tonight. Can the Padres bats get hot after the cold day yesterday and get to Drew Smyly? Handicapper Krabs answers.
Krabs - April 26, 2023, 3:19 PM EDT
5 minChicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres Prediction: Will the Padres' Bats Get to Drew Smyly?
Baseball has been around for a very long time. Over the years, we’ve heard about many curses throughout the sport, whether it be a team, player, or ballpark. If you head up to Boston, ask anyone about the Curse of the Bambino, and they’ll shush you like you’re talking too loud in the library.
Although Boston has broken their “curse,” there are still teams who have yet to conquer their demons. Three teams in baseball remain without a World Series win: the Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, and San Diego Padres. The Texas Rangers and Tampa Bay Rays get a pass for being relatively newer franchises. Still, with the amount of money San Diego is spending on their roster, their first World Series championship is long overdue.
Cubs vs. Padres Start Time and Where to Watch
- Date: Wednesday, April 26, 2023
- Game Time: 7:40 pm ET
- Where to Watch: MLB.TV
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres Prediction
The Padres have the third-highest payroll in baseball, spending a ridiculous $275 million dollars in 2023. What if I told you that the Padres are currently ranked last in batting average in 2023? Is this team simply cursed, or are they just off to a slow start?
Tonight, the Padres face Drew Smyly and the Cubs after he almost threw a perfect game last week. Unlike San Diego, the Cubs have overperformed all pre-season expectations up to this point. Chicago is 13-9 and currently holds the second-best batting average in baseball, right behind the Rays. New additions Dansby Swanson and Cody Bellinger have fit like a glove, and Nico Hoerner is the most underrated second baseman in baseball. With Smyly on the bump after a near-perfect game and the Cubbies bats red-hot, why are they a Pick ‘Em against the struggling Padres?
If you bet lines and not teams, your bankroll will thank you at the end of the 2023 MLB season. The Cubs shut out the Padres last night, and the team with the worst batting average in baseball opened up as the betting favorite against Smyly. The math simply doesn’t check out.
The standard sports bettor will look at this betting line and immediately lock in the Cubs at a “discounted price.” This is not a winning betting strategy. The Cubs are a “coin flip” on the moneyline tonight for good reason. Michael Wacha is due for some positive regression after a brutal start to the season.
With the total dropping from 9.5 to 8, oddsmakers seem to be expecting a pitchers' duel tonight. This is a great sign for Wacha, who has struggled recently, giving up 12 runs in his previous two starts. Hold your nose and bet the stinky line with the Padres on the road after getting shut out last night. If bets like Chicago ML tonight typically hit, the sportsbooks would be bankrupt; the Cubs on the moneyline are simply too good to be true.
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres Pick
SD ML -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to find out which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
MLB Odds
