The San Diego Padres (27-32) host the Chicago Cubs (26-32) at Petco Park on Monday with the home team looking to split the four-game series. The Cubs lead the series 2-1 after winning 7-1 on Sunday, their fourth head-to-head victory in six games this season.
Starter Marcus Stroman went six innings, allowing one run (0 ER) on four hits and striking out six, to get the win. Miguel Amaya was 3 for 3 with a home run, two runs, and two RBIs in the win over the Padres. Yan Gomes added a home run and two runs.
ON THE MOUND
Kyle Hendricks (0-1, 3.86 ERA) is slated to take the mound for Chicago. The right-hander allowed one run over five innings in his last start, a 2-1 road win over the Rays on Tuesday. He yielded six hits while striking out three and walking three in the no-decision.
Hendricks is making his first appearance against the Padres this season. Over two starts against the Padres in 2022, Hendricks was 1-0 with a 0.66 ERA over 13.2 innings. He had 13 strikeouts and one walk. Lefty Blake Snell (1-6, 4.50 ERA) will toe the rubber for San Diego.
He has made one prior start against the Cubs this season, giving up two runs over five innings in a 6-0 road defeat on April 25. He gave up four hits and walked five, while striking out five in the loss.
In his last start on Wednesday, Snell took a no-decision on the road against the Marlins. He threw six scoreless innings and gave up three hits, striking out seven and walking three in the 2-1 defeat.
AT THE PLATE
Over the last five games, Chicago has averaged only 2.8 runs a game, down from their season average of 4.4, while performing worse across the board (.203/.282/.327). Against lefties like Snell this season, the Cubs have ann .815 OPS, fourth highest in the league.
Seiya Suzuki has been the team’s biggest on-base threat against left-handers with a .457 OBP in 51 at-bats. San Diego is averaging only 3.8 runs per game in the last five, down slightly from 4.1 for the season.
The Padres have a .671 OPS against righties in 2023. With a 1.007 OPS over 132 at-bats, Juan Soto has been their best hitter against right-handers.
HOME AND AWAY
Chicago is 11-16 on the road in 2023, scoring 4.6 runs per game while allowing 4.4 runs. San Diego has gone 13-17 at Petco Park this season, averaging 3.9 runs per game while surrendering 3.8.
In the last 10 games at Petco Park between the teams, Chicago is 7-3 with an average scoreline of 4.4-3.0.
STANDINGS UPDATE
The Cubs are third in the NL Central, five games behind the division-leading Brewers. The Padres are fourth in the NL West, seven games behind the Dodgers.
SportsTips’ MLB Pick:
SD Padres (-175)
Want up to a $1K risk-free bet for this pick?
Claim with 
today!
If you need more news, information, and predictions, head over to our MLB hub page for all your baseball needs!
*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
