If the major league season was a month shorter, somewhere around 140 games, these San Diego Padres would be a playoff team. But the season is 162 games and these Padres are in full out collapse mode.

After leading the NL West for nearly the entire summer, the Padres watched the Giants overtake them for the division lead as autumn approached. With six games remaining San Diego trails the Giants by one game in the NL West and the Braves by a half-game in the Wild Card race.

The Padres close the season with a three-game series at San Francisco that could determine both teams’ postseason fate. But if the Padres want that series to carry any meaning it will have to win the games it should, especially at home against a Cubs’ team 14-games under .500.

The Padres and Cubs will meet for Game 2 of their four-game series Tuesday night at 10:05 p.m. ET. San Diego had been 4-0 against Chicago before a 1-0 loss on Monday night.

MLB Predictions: Pitching Matchup

Ryan Dempster (RHP, 14-11, 3.87 ERA) vs. Mat Latos (RHP, 14-8, 2.91 ERA)
The pitching of staff ace Mat Latos has mirrored his team’s steady decline. Latos has lost his last three decisions, yielding 16 earned runs in 10 1/3 innings. He has not gotten past the fifth inning in any of those starts.

Dempster did not even get out of the second inning in his last start against San Francisco. Dempster was tagged for nine earned runs while only recording five outs. That game was at home. In his last two road starts Dempster shutout Florida and Milwaukee through 14 innings, earning a pair of wins.

Management has indicated this is Dempster’s final start of the season. In his career against San Diego he is 6-4 with a 3.65 ERA.

Latos has struggled against the Cubs. He is 1-1 with a 5.91 ERA and there are indications that the 22-year old may be wearing down as the long season winds on.

Cubs Vs. Padres Betting Odds

The favored Padres are priced at -157 while the Cubs are listed at +142. The total is 6.5. MLB odds are courtesy of Sportsbook.com.

Cubs Vs. Padres Betting Trends

Cubs are 5-0 in their last five road games vs. a team with a winning record
Cubs are 5-0 in their last five road games vs. a right-handed starter
Cubs are 15-3 in their last 18 road games
Cubs are 13-3 in their last 16 as a road underdog
Cubs are 5-0 in Dempster’s last five road starts
Padres are 6-13 in their last 19 games following a loss
Padres are 0-5 in their last five games with a total set at 6.5 or lower
Padres are 8-2 in Latos’ last ten starts vs. a team with a losing record
Padres are 1-4 in Latos’ last five starts with a total set at 6.5 or lower
‘Under’ is 3-0-1 in the last four meetings between the teams
Cubs are 2-9 in the last 11 meetings

Cubs Vs. Padres MLB Predictions and Picks

The Padres, the team who wrote the book on low-scoring baseball games, have struggled when the total is as low as it is Tuesday night. The Cubs have played their best baseball of the season over the course of the last month. That can be pretty easy to do once you are eliminated from the playoffs and there is no pressure on you. The Padres are in the exact opposite position, all the pressure in the world is on them and their offense is simply not producing. This has the makings of another pitchers’ duel and another upset win by the Cubs.

Vegas Sports Informer has cemented himself as one of the best MLB handicappers in the nation. $100 bettors are up more than $9,000 on the season for his baseball picks. Last year he was the overall money leader as well with $100 bettors making more than $10K. Check Doc’s Sports homepage for the latest MLB betting articles, MLB odds and, of course, winning baseball picks.