Dylan Cease and three relievers combined on a four-hitter and Manny Machado broke the game open with a two-run fifth inning home run and San Diego won Game 2 of their Wild Card series 3-0 to even their series with the Cubs at a game apiece. The top three hitters in the Padres’ batting order went a combined 4-11 with two RBIs and three runs scored.
San Diego’s win sets the stage for a decisive Game 3 Thursday. Yu Darvish takes the ball for the Padres and will be opposed by Jameson Taillon of the Cubs. The winner moves on to the Divisional Round against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Game 3 at Wrigley Field. Lets take a deeper dive into it and seek out a few angles to attack as bettors.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Padres at Cubs
- Date: Thursday, October 2, 2025
- Time: 5:08PM EST
- Site: Wrigley Field
- City: Chicago, IL
- Network/Streaming: ESPN
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
Odds for the Padres at the Cubs
The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of DraftKings:
- Moneyline: Padres (-105), Cubs (-116)
- Spread: Padres 1.5 (+164)
- Total: 7.5 runs
Probable starting pitchers for Padres at Cubs
- Pitching matchup for October 2, 2025: Yu Darvish vs. Jameson Taillon
- Padres: Yu Darvish (5-5, 5.38 ERA)
Darvish has started 13 postseason games and amassed a record of 5-7 with a 3.77 ERA - Cubs: Jameson Taillon (11-7, 3.68 ERA)
Taillon’s postseason experience is 4.1 scoreless innings over 2 appearances in 2022 with the Yankees
- Padres: Yu Darvish (5-5, 5.38 ERA)
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Padres at Cubs
- Both games of this series have cashed the Game Total UNDER
- The Cubs are 1-1 on the Run Line in this series as are the Padres
- Fernando Tatis Jr. is 1-8 in the series
- Manny Machado is 1-7 in the series
- Kyle Tucker is 1-7 in the series
- Pete Crow-Armstrong is 0-6 in the series
If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports!
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Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s Game 3 between the Padres and the Cubs
Rotoworld Best Bet
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Thursday’s Game 3 between the Padres and the Cubs:
- Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
- Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the San Diego Padres at +1.5.
- Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the over on the Game Total of 7.0.
Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
- Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
- Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
- Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
- Trysta Krick (@Trysta_Krick)
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