Cubs vs. Padres NL Wild Card Game 3 Prediction, Odds, Picks - October 2

The deciding Game 3 of the NL Wild Card Series on Thursday will feature the Chicago Cubs playing host to the San Diego Padres. The teams will look advance to the NLDS when action begins at 5:08 p.m. ET on ESPN, live from Wrigley Field. The Padres have been listed as -103 moneyline underdogs for this matchup against the Cubs (-117). San Diego is the run-line favorite (-1.5). The total for the matchup has been listed at 7.5 runs.

Here is everything you need from a betting perspective on the Cubs-Padres game, regarding the run line, moneyline and total, plus expert picks.

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Cubs vs. Padres Game Information & Odds

• When: Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 5:08 p.m. ET
• Where: Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois
• How to watch on TV: ESPN

Cubs vs. Padres Prediction

• Score Prediction: Cubs 4, Padres 3
• Total Prediction: Over 7.5 runs
• Win Probabilities: Cubs 54%, Padres 46%

Cubs vs. Padres Betting Insights

• The Cubs have been favorites in 118 games this season and won 75 (63.6%) of those contests.
• Chicago is 71-35 this season when entering a game favored by -117 or more on the moneyline.
• The moneyline for this contest implies a 53.9% chance of a victory for the Cubs.
• The Padres have been victorious in 36, or 50.7%, of the 71 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
• San Diego has a mark of 31-34 in contests where bookmakers favor it by -103 or worse on the moneyline.
• Oddsmakers have implied with the moneyline set for this matchup that the Padres have a 50.7% chance of pulling out a win.

Cubs Recent Betting Performance

• The Cubs have a 5-2 record over the seven games they were a moneyline favorite in their last 10 matchups.
• In their last 10 outings (all 10 of them had set totals), the Cubs and their opponents combined to go over the run total five times.
• The Cubs' ATS record is 6-4-0 over their past 10 games.

Cubs Recent Stats

Cubs Player Insights

• Kyle Tucker is batting .266 with 25 doubles, four triples, 22 home runs and 87 walks.
• Of all batters in MLB, Tucker ranks 65th in home runs and 77th in RBI.
• Nico Hoerner has a club-high .297 batting average.
• Hoerner is 264th in homers and 123rd in RBI among all batters in the majors.
• Hoerner carries a three-game streak with at least one hit into this contest. In his last five games he is hitting .286 with a home run and two RBIs.
• Pete Crow-Armstrong is batting .247 with 37 doubles, four triples, 31 home runs and 29 walks.
• Seiya Suzuki has been productive as he paces his team with 103 runs batted in.
• Suzuki has recorded at least one hit in nine games in a row. In his last 10 games he is batting .294 with two doubles, six home runs, two walks and 13 RBIs.

Cubs Team Props

Padres Recent Betting Performance

• In four games as underdogs over the last 10 matchups, the Padres have a record of 3-1.
• When it comes to hitting the over, the Padres and their opponents are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games with a total.
• The Padres have a record of 7-3-0 ATS over their last 10 games.

Padres Recent Stats

Padres Player Insights

• Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .268 with 27 doubles, two triples, 25 home runs and 89 walks.
• Tatis ranks 50th in home runs and 84th in RBI among all hitters in the majors.
• Manny Machado has been a reliable source of runs this year, leading the lineup with 27 home runs and 95 RBI.
• Machado is 38th in homers and 20th in RBI among all MLB hitters this year.
• Luis Arraez paces the Padres with a team-best batting average of .292.
• Ryan O'Hearn has 21 doubles, a triple, 17 home runs and 58 walks while batting .281.

Padres Team Props

FOX Sports created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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