2026 NL Wild Card Odds: Padres Open As Narrow Favorites Over Cubs

The Cubs and Padres are no strangers to meeting in October.

For the second straight year, these two teams will face off in the NL wild-card round, with Chicago looking to repeat last season’s postseason success against San Diego.

Can the Padres flip the script in 2026?

Let’s check out the odds for the series at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 28, as well as what to know.

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Padres: -120 (bet $10 to win $18.33 total)
Cubs: +100 (bet $10 to win $20 total)

Padres win 2-1: +245 (bet $10 to win $34.50 total)
Padres win 2-0: +260 (bet $10 to win $36 total)
Cubs win 2-0: +275 (bet $10 to win $37.50 total)
Cubs win 2-1: +290 (bet $10 to win $39 total)

Spread: Padres -1.5
Moneyline: Padres -126, Cubs +114
O/U: 7

Here's what to know about the Padres-Cubs odds:

Season Series: During the regular season this year, the Cubs went 5-1 against the Padres in six games. Playing at Petco Park in late April, the Cubs took two of three games (losing 9-7 on April 27, then winning 8-3 on April 28 and 5-4 on April 29). The Cubs then completed a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field from June 29 to July 1, winning by scores of 3-2, 9-7, and a dominant 23-3 blowout in the finale.

Wild-Card Rematch: The Cubs beat the Padres 2-1 in last year’s wild-card round, but that series was played at Wrigley Field. The series now shifts to Petco Park. While Pete Crow-Armstrong has taken the baseball world by storm this summer and is a likely MVP, the Padres have been one of baseball’s hottest teams. San Diego owns MLB’s best record since July 24 and has won eight of its last 10 games, improving to 43-23 since the All-Star break. Chicago, meanwhile, has one of the most dangerous lineups in baseball. The Cubs led MLB in runs (850), RBI (804), walks (674), slugging percentage (.428) and OPS (.767), while ranking second in OBP (.339), third in home runs (220) and sixth in batting average (.251). However, their bullpen remains a major weakness and could be a deciding factor in the series.