The San Diego Padres will face the Chicago Cubs in Game 2 of their National League Wild Card playoff series on Wednesday. San Diego needs a win to extend the series after a 3-1 loss in Game 1. The Chicago Cubs are one victory away from advancing to the NL Division Series after a great game from their pitching staff on Tuesday. Before Game 2 from Chicago, continue reading to get my Padres vs Cubs Game 2 prediction.
Our Padres vs Cubs Game 2 Pick
- Pick: Chicago Cubs Moneyline
- Confidence: 3/5
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: San Diego Padres @ Chicago Cubs
- Date & Time: Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 3:08 p.m. ET
- Starting Pitchers: Dylan Cease (SD) vs. Andrew Kittredge (CHI)
- Stadium: Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL
- Broadcast: ABC
Key Storylines
Pitching matchup
San Diego is handing the ball to Dylan Cease for this elimination game. Cease endured a rough regular season by his standards. He had an 8–12 record and a 4.55 ERA. On the road, his splits were worse, with a 5.58 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 80.2 innings. He was 1–9 away from Petco Park and will try to reverse that trend here. His lone outing against Chicago earlier this season ended with seven hits allowed in 5.2 innings.
Chicago is going with Andrew Kittredge as an opener out of the bullpen. The plan is reportedly for Kittredge to start, then for the Cubs to hand things over to Shota Imanaga or a long reliever. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with Chicago a win away from getting to the NLDS.
Key Players
- Seiya Suzuki: Suzuki launched a home run for the Cubs in Game 1, his sixth in five games. He remains a driving force in Chicago’s lineup.
- Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr.: San Diego’s dynamic duo went a combined 0-7 at the plate in Game 1 of this series. Machado did draw a walk, but those two will need to get on base more for San Diego to avoid elimination.
Recent team streaks
Chicago enters off a commanding 3-1 win in the first game of this series. The Cubs have won four games in a row going into Wednesday’s contest. San Diego had a three-game winning streak snapped in Tuesday’s loss to Chicago.
Best Player Props
| Player | Prop Type | O/U |
|---|---|---|
| Seiya Suzuki | Total Bases | Over 1.5 |
| Pete Crow-Armstrong | Home Runs | Over 0.5 |
| Dylan Cease | Strikeouts | Under 6.5 |
Betting Trends & H2H
- Chicago is 4-3 against the Padres this season between the regular season and playoffs.
- Chicago is 51-31 at home after Tuesday’s Game 1 win.
- San Diego is 38-44 on the road between the regular season and postseason.
- The first game of this series went under the total of 6.5 runs. There were four runs scored in that game.
Padres vs Cubs Game 2 Model Projection
Score Projection: Chicago Cubs 4 – San Diego Padres 3
Win Probability: Chicago Cubs 58%, San Diego Padres 42%
Final Thoughts
The Cubs are at home and have the momentum in this series after taking Game 1. Bettors may want to wait to lock in a wager on this contest until they know more about the pitching plan for the Cubs after Kittredge exits the game. But I project a win for the Cubs, as they should advance to the next round in a two-game sweep.
