Here is the Pickwatch BetSmart Preview for the San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Round in the 2025 MLB Playoffs.

San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs Game Info

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Time: 3:08 p.m. ET
Location: Wrigley Field — Chicago, Illinois
TV: ABC

Padres vs. Cubs Betting Info

Spread / Run Line
- Padres +1.5 (-225)
- Cubs -1.5 (+184)
Moneyline
- Padres +108
- Cubs -126
Total (Over/Under)
- Over 6.5 (-124)
- Under 6.5 (+102)

*Odds via FanDuel

Season Betting Trends

Moneyline
- Padres: 90-72
- Cubs: 92-70
Run Line
- Padres: 89-73
- Cubs: 76-86
Totals (Over-Under)
- Padres: 70-87-5
- Cubs: 74-75-13

San Diego Padres (90–72) @ Chicago Cubs (92–70) Preview

San Diego enters the postseason riding a late-season surge and hopes to rely on bullpen strength after surviving their regular season stretch. Meanwhile, Chicago is banking on Wrigley Field’s electric atmosphere and home-field pressure to swing momentum early.

The Padres will likely start Nick Pivetta in Game 1, while the Cubs may go with Matthew Boyd (though injuries to Cade Horton complicate their rotation). San Diego is without Ramon Laureano (finger injury), which weakens outfield depth and may shift lineup construction.

Chicago must contend with bullpen stress and health issues, but their bullpen is battle-tested, and Wrigley’s home crowd will press hard. San Diego’s bullpen is a strength, featuring options like Mason Miller and Robert Suárez ready for high-leverage innings. In betting markets, the Cubs are slight favorites (−112 ML) with a tight total of 7, and many models see this as a low-scoring, tense first game.

Head-to-Head Stats and Analysis

The Chicago Cubs lead the all-time series 285-239 against the Padres. Here are the last 5 matchups:

Padres 4, Cubs 2 — April 16, 2025
Padres 10, Cubs 4 — April 14, 2025
Cubs 5, Padres 2 — April 6, 2025
Padres 8, Cubs 7 — April 6, 2025
Cubs 3, Padres 1 — April 4, 2025

BetSmart Betting Rundown

The Pickwatch BetSmart subscription package provides valuable sports betting tools to help you wager wisely on the Padres vs. Cubs game and start building bankroll. Sign up for a 14-Day Free Trial today and get instant access to our proprietary tools and data.

Arbitrage

Our Arbitrage Betting Tool identified 1 arbitrage betting opportunity for guaranteed profit.

Middles

Our Middle Betting Tool currently has not identified any middle betting opportunities. The tool scans all major sportsbooks in real-time, though, so be sure to check back often as odds and lines change often, and a middle bet opportunity could still become available before the first pitch.

Positive EV

Our Positive EV Betting Tool has identified 6 different positive expected value wagers, and provided data on the expected value percentrage, suggested Kelly Stake, and how often the bet has hit in the last 5, 10 and 15 games.

Player Props

Our Prop Finder Tool has identified 223 different player prop bets, and provided data on how often each player has hit the specific prop in the last 5, 10 and 15 games.

Padres vs. Cubs: Expert Picks

Visit our Expert Picks page to view picks and data from experts to see where the consensus is on the Padres vs. Cubs moneyline, run line and total.