The Chicago Cubs square off against the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series on Tuesday at 3:08 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs (-118 moneyline odds to win) square off against the Padres (-101) in a projected tight contest. The Padres have tabbed Nick Pivetta (13-5, 2.87 ERA) as their starter for this matchup. The Cubs’ starter has not yet been announced.
The Cubs won their most recent game against the Cardinals on Sunday by a 2-0 score. Seiya Suzuki went 1 for 3 with a home run and an RBI to lead them offensively. Javier Assad picked up the win on the strength of 5 1/3 innings without giving up an earned run on three hits, while striking out six.
The Padres secured a 12-4 victory against the Diamondbacks Sunday. Jackson Merrill (2 for 3 with two doubles and three RBIs) led the way offensively, while JP Sears got the win on the mound after going 5 2/3 innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits while striking out four.
Here is what you need to get ready for this playoff contest between the Cubs and Padres, including viewing options.
Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres odds, line and spread
MLB odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Monday at 12:16 a.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub.
Favorite: Cubs (-118, bet $118 to win $100)Underdog: Padres (-101, bet $101 to win $100)Cubs vs. Padres: Game time and live stream infoGame day: Tuesday, September 30, 2025Game time: 3:08 p.m. ETLocation: Chicago, IllinoisStadium: Wrigley FieldTV channel: ABC
Cubs stats and trendsCubs betting recordsThe Cubs have been favorites in 116 games this season and won 74 (63.8%) of those contests.Chicago has a record of 70-33 in games when bookmakers favor them by at least -118 on the moneyline.The oddsmakers’ moneyline implies a 54.1% chance of a victory for the Cubs.Chicago and its opponents have gone over the total this season in 75 of 162 opportunities.The Cubs have an ATS record of 77-85-0 in 162 games with a spread this season.Cubs batting statsThe Cubs rank sixth in Major League Baseball with 223 home runs.Fueled by 519 extra-base hits, Chicago ranks sixth in MLB with a .430 slugging percentage this season.The Cubs rank 13th in MLB with a .249 team batting average.Chicago has scored the fifth-most runs in the majors this season with 793.The Cubs have an on-base percentage of .320 this season, which ranks 10th in the league.Chicago ranks sixth in MLB in strikeouts per game with an average of 7.9 whiffs per contest.Padres stats and trendsPadres betting recordsThe Padres have been victorious in 35, or 50.7%, of the 69 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.This year, San Diego has won 31 of 63 games when listed as at least -101 or worse on the moneyline.The Padres have an implied victory probability of 50.2% according to the moneyline set by oddsmakers for this matchup.San Diego and its opponents have gone over in 69 of its 162 games with a total set by sportsbooks this season.The Padres have an against the spread record of 88-74-0 in 162 games with a line this season.Nick Pivetta (Padres probable starter)Pivetta makes the start for the Padres, his 32nd of the season. He is 13-5 with a 2.87 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings pitched.The righty last appeared on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers, when he threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing three earned runs while giving up four hits.In 31 games this season, the 32-year-old has an ERA of 2.87, with 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .195 against him.Pivetta enters the outing with 19 quality starts under his belt this year.Pivetta has put up 26 starts this campaign where he pitched five or more innings.He has had seven appearances this season that he held his opponents to zero earned runs.The opposing Cubs offense has the sixth-ranked slugging percentage (.430) and ranks sixth in home runs hit (223) in all of MLB. They have a collective .249 batting average, and are 11th in the league with 1371 total hits and fifth in MLB action scoring 793 runs.Pivetta has a 4.00 ERA and a 1.556 WHIP against the Cubs this season in nine innings pitched, allowing a .286 batting average over two appearances.This season, the 32-year-old ranks ninth in ERA (2.87), fifth in WHIP (.985), and 16th in K/9 (9.4) among qualifying pitchers.Padres batting statsThe Padres have hit 152 home runs this season, the third-lowest total in MLB action.This season, San Diego ranks 22nd in baseball with a .390 slugging percentage.The Padres have the seventh-best batting average in the league (.252).The offense for San Diego is the No. 18 offense in baseball, scoring 4.3 runs per game (702 total runs).The Padres are ninth in baseball with an on-base percentage of .321.