San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs MLB Wild Card Series Preview and Prediction
The Chicago Cubs won the World Series nine years ago, but otherwise, the Cubs and San Diego Padres are two of the most moribund franchises in Major League Baseball when it comes to playoff success. Chicago endured the longest title drought in North American sports history – 108 years between World Series victories in 1908 and 2016. San Diego, a franchise that dates back to 1969, is the oldest team to have never won it all.
Another dose of postseason heartbreak is in store for one of these clubs after they go head-to-head in a National League Wild Card Series. The winner will advance to a showdown with the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS.
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San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs Series Odds and Betting Trends
The Cubs are slight favourites to advance because they are playing at home for the series. Otherwise, this should be entirely even.
Chicago went 92-70 during the regular season to earn the NL’s No. 1 wild-card spot, finishing just two games ahead of San Diego (90-72). Both clubs are playing solid but unspectacular baseball at the moment, compiling identical 14-11 records during September. The regular-season head-to-head matchup was also a wash, as the two sides went 3-3 against each other, and the Over/Under was also 3-3 in six meetings.
San Diego Padres
San Diego simply cannot get over the hump that is the NL West rival, Los Angeles Dodgers. The Padres squandered a 2-1 series lead over L.A. in the 2024 NLDS and wasted a prime opportunity to win the division this year. San Diego found itself in first place as recently as August 24, but a loss to the Dodgers on that day touched off a 2-9 stretch from which they never recovered. Manager Mike Shildt’s squad lost the division by three games despite going 7-1 in its last eight contests.
Midseason acquisition Nestor Cortes is on the injured list, but the rest of the Padres’ rotation is fully stocked with Nick Pivetta, Michael King, Dylan Cease, and Yu Darvish.
Chicago Cubs
Other than the Philadelphia Phillies, who ran away with the NL East, no team was less a part of any playoff race than Chicago. The Cubs were always good enough to stay in a comfortable wild-card position, but they never had any realistic chance of winning the NL Central once the Brewers went on their unbelievable July winning streak.
If another playoff demise is in store for the Cubs, pitching will likely be the culprit. Cade Horton, who is the favourite to win NL Rookie of the Year honours, is beginning the playoffs on the injured list. The starting rotation is decent with Horton at the top, but without him, Chicago’s pitching looks mediocre at best.
MLB Prediction: Who Will Win San Diego Padres vs. Chicago Cubs?
Although pitching generally prevails in the postseason, the Cubs are capable of bashing their way to victory. Kyle Tucker (with the Houston Astros) and Dansby Swanson (Atlanta Braves) are World Series champions, while Pete Crow-Armstrong, Nico Hoerner, and Michael Bush impressed throughout the 2025 regular season.
Most importantly, the Cubs finished 19 games over .500 at home; the Padres were five games under .500 on the road. That could be the difference in what is expected to be a 2-1 series triumph for Chicago.
