San Diego will try to be nasty hosts on Saturday when the Chicago Cubs pay a visit to PETCO Park.

It's a pitching duel between Eric Stults for the Padres (8-10 on the year) and Jeff Samardzija for Chicago (7-11 so far).



View Chi Cubs vs San Diego Odds and Stats.

Betting Line:
Bettors looking to back visiting Chicago before the first pitch in this match found them as +-131-moneyline underdogs earlier today at Sportsbook. They saw the total of 7 earlier at Sportsbook.

Power Rankings:
This game matches up the No. 15 (Padres) and the No. 12 (Cubs) teams in their respective leagues, according to our current MLB Power Rankings.



How They Match Up:
The game also pits San Diego's No. 12-rated National League offense, averaging 3.9 runs per game, against a Cubs defense that ranks No. 10 in the National League at 4.3 in runs allowed per game. The Padres have averaged 8.4 hits per game so far, more than Cubs batters have averaged on the year (8.2 hits per game).

Pitching and defensive stats are important baseball handicapping factors and San Diego has the National League's No. 14-ranked defense. In the other dugout, the Cubs own the National League's No. 10 mark in runs allowed.

The Cubs were an 8-6 loser in their most recent outing on the road against the Padres. That made winners of bettors who got San Diego at -127 on the moneyline, while the total score (14) was good news for OVER bettors. The Cubs endured an 8-6 loss at the hands of the Padres on Friday, with Edwin Jackson throwing 6 innings of 10-hit ball at PETCO Park.




Chicago Cubs Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing San Diego are 4-6
After playing San Diego are 4-6
After a loss are 3-7

San Diego Padres Trends:
When playing on Saturday are 6-4
Before playing Chi Cubs are 6-4
After playing Chi Cubs are 7-3
After a win are 4-6

A few Cubs at Padres trends to consider:
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 5 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing San Diego
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Chi Cubs' last 6 games when playing on the road against San Diego
San Diego is 5-0 SU in their last 5 games when playing at home against Chi Cubs
San Diego is 6-2 SU in their last 8 games when playing Chi Cubs
San Diego is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of San Diego's last 6 games


Next up:
Chi Cubs at San Diego, Sunday, August 25