Wednesday is Game 2 of the NL Wild Card series, pitting the Chicago Cubs against the San Diego Padres, who blanked the Cubs 8-0 to take the first game handily.

The Padres hit three home runs and held the best run-scoring team in baseball scoreless thanks to a masterful start from San Diego’s ace, Michael King. For Chicago, it’s an elimination game. Lose and go home; win and it’s a winner-take-all in Game 3.

Before first pitch between the Cubs and Padres, let’s run down the betting angles, review both teams and then make a prediction for Game 2.

San Diego is a -140 favourite to win on the MLB odds, with the total set at 7.5.

MLB Betting Odds and Trends

The Cubs, the team that scored the most runs in Major League Baseball in 162 games of the regular season, found a bad time to not plate a single run across. Chicago is hoping Game 164 will go a lot better in the run-scoring department.

Funnily enough, the over on the 7.0 run total hit Tuesday thanks to the Padres scoring eight runs on Tuesday. Over 7.5 runs seems attractive again, as does the Padres -1.5, as they’ve got the starting pitching edge in this series and also in their pen arms, as Chicago had to expend some of its bullpen arms to help make up for Matthew Boyd only making it through the fourth inning.

Chicago Cubs

After giving up a first-pitch home run to begin the contest, Matthew Boyd never got to really settle down. He only threw 58 pitches through four innings as the Cubs brought on four relievers to finish the game. Boyd allowed four earned runs and one walk, but the key stat was three home runs. The Cubs couldn’t plate any runs across and could only muster three hits; two from Nico Hoerner. Chicago was a woeful 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners on base in total.

To say it was a forgettable night is putting it mildly for the North Siders, and they now have their backs against the wall on the road.

San Diego Padres

When you start off your first at-bat in the playoffs the way Fernando Tatis Jr. did in the Padres’ NL Wild Card series opener, you’re destined for great things. San Diego is just nine innings away from punching their ticket to the division series to match up with the team with the best record in Major League Baseball, the Milwaukee Brewers. Not only did Tatis go hard, Manny Machado launched a home run off of Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, setting the tone on the night.

Padres starter Michael King didn’t allow a hit until the seventh inning when Nico Hoerner reached base on an infield single. King’s outing gave the Padres everything they needed: seven strong innings with three walks, one hit and eight strikeouts on an economical 97 pitches. Better yet, San Diego didn’t even need to expend much in the way of bullpen arms. So far so good for the Padres in Game 1, but Game 2 when the Cubs are against the wall with their season on the line, will be the test.

MLB Prediction: Who Will Win Cubs vs. Padres?

For the visiting Cubs, it’s veteran Kevin Gausman taking the bump in this elimination game. Last season, Gausman was a godsend for the Toronto Blue Jays in their run through the American League to the World Series, as he allowed just 11 earned runs in 30 ⅔ innings pitched (2.93 ERA). Gausman will look to parlay the recent playoff success into a great start to keep the Cubs from going home.

Opposing Gausman will be Canadian right-hander Nick Pivetta, who is only starting his fifth game since a mid-April elbow injury sidelined him for the vast majority of the season. When Pivetta returned, he was lights out for San Diego, sporting a pristine 1.45 ERA and a 2-0 record in four September starts where he allowed just three earned runs, walked two, and allowed just 15 hits in 18 ⅔ innings.

This game should be a great one with huge stakes for both teams, but like Game 1, we’re going with the game total. If they’re going to keep giving up a 7.5 run total with the best run-scoring team in baseball and a team that scored eight runs in Game 1, we have to take it. I can’t

imagine the Cubs will get shut out again, but they’ll plate a few across as San Diego plates a few more and takes the series.

Best bet: Over 7.5 runs (-125)

CUBS

Away

3

PADRES

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