Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres 6/2/2023 Expert Picks, Previews and Analysis
On Friday, June 2, 2023, at 9:40 PM ET, Petco Park, CA will host an MLB game between the Chicago Cubs and the San Diego Padres. On Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs suffered a 4-3 home loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. They had a chance to sweep a three-game series against the formidable Rays, but they could not do so. Nonetheless, they prevailed in the series, their second victory in the previous two weeks after sweeping the New York Mets at home in two of the three games. Going into June, the Cubs have a 24-31 record. They lost 12 out of their previous 17 games in total. Awful.207/.305/.The recent Cubs statistics are 336 slash line, 4.58 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and 262 opponents’ batting averages.
Jameson Taillon will be summoned to the field on Friday in San Diego. The 31-year-old right-hander made eight starts this season and had a miserable 8.04 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, and a 32/11 K/BB ratio in 31.1 innings thrown. He also made eight starts last year. He is in the 11th and 9th percentile for the anticipated batting average and expected slugging percentage, respectively. Taillon had a horrible record over his previous four starts, allowing an astounding 20 runs (18 earned), 24 hits, and 7 walks in 14.1 innings of work. On six hits over 4.2 innings in a no-decision last Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds, Taillon gave up four earned runs. The Cincinnati Reds ultimately triumphed 8-5.
The Cubs have used 177 relievers so far this season. 74 runners were sent to the relievers in the current season, and 25.7% of them made it to base. They had 13 opportunities to make saves this year, but they only succeeded in making seven of them. A 53.8% save percentage was achieved by the 37 save opportunities that the Cubs’ bullpen pitchers took the mound for. The bullpen had 23 holds this year, which put it in 27th place in MLB. With runners on 45 times and in high-risk situations 41 times, the Cubs’ bullpen pitchers entered the game.
- The Chicago Cubs are 2-5 SU in their last seven meetings with the Padres.
- The total went OVER in 8 of the Cubs’ last nine games on the road.
- The Chi Cubs are 4-1 SU in their last five matches on the road against San Diego.
Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres 6/2/2023 Expert Picks, Previews and Analysis
The San Diego Padres defeated the Miami Marlins 10-1 on Thursday afternoon to climb to 26-30 overall. They won a three-game set at LoanDepot Park in Miami to finish their nine-game road trip with a 5-4 record. During that time, the Padres won one of three games against the New York Yankees and two of three against the Washington Nationals. San Diego is seven and a half games behind the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers and three matches back of the third National League wild-card spot. The Padres have baseball’s seventh-lowest scoring offense, averaging 4.07 runs per game. They only managed to hit.212/.314/.360 in May, though.
Right-hander Michael Wacha, 31, will take the mound on Friday. In ten starts (57.1 IP) this season, he is 5-1 with a good 3.45 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and a 49/14 K/BB ratio. Despite ranking in the 43rd and 36th percentiles for anticipated batting average and slugging percentage, respectively, Wacha scores in the 87th percentile for hard-hit %. Wacha had a 3-0 record in five starts, allowing just three runs on 16 hits and seven walks in 32 innings of work. He had a 2.91 FIP and a.405 opposition OPS over his previous five outings. Last Saturday, Wacha threw seven innings of two-run ball in a no-decision as the New York Yankees won 3-2.
San Diego’s pitching staff has a club ERA of 3.95 (225 runs allowed) with 225 runs allowed this season. Their 4.16 runs per nine innings rank sixth in MLB, and they allowed 59 long balls. The Padres’ pitching staff has a collective WHIP of 1.269 and a FIP of 4.24 so far this season. They currently have a K/BB ratio 8.50 (459 strikeouts vs 183 walks). They are fourth in baseball with 435 hits surrendered as a pitching staff.
- The total stayed UNDER in 12 of San Diego’s last 18 matches.
- The San Diego Padres are 7-13 SU in their last 20 games.
- The total went UNDER in 10 of San Diego’s revious 11 matches at home.
Chicago Cubs vs San Diego Padres. The MLB pick for this game is the San Diego Padres. Despite Manny Machado’s absence (hand), who will probably be out for the upcoming series against the Cubs, the Padres, who had a difficult month of May, had a few strong outings in the past 10 days. San Diego scored 18 runs in three games against the Nationals, 14 runs in three at Yankee Stadium, and 20 runs in three games against the Marlins.
On the other side, the Cubs just won a three-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays, who are now baseball’s best club. Chicago is 0-8 with Taillon in the circle this season. Taillon will take against the San Diego Padres, who are presently 15 for 73 against him with six doubles and a couple of home homers, for the first time since 2018. In 2023, watch Juan Soto, Matt Carpenter, and Jake Cronenworth as he allows left-handed batters to have an OPS of 1.114. Carpenter has hit just 3-for-28 in his previous eight games, but in 24 career at-bats against Taillon, he has seven singles and a home run. Over the last ten days, the Padres have a 101 wRC+ versus right-handed pitching, while the Cubs have a 73 wRC+. It is anticipated that the San Diego Padres will triumph 8-3.
MLB Starting Time: 9:40 PM ET
Location: Petco Park, CA
Date: Friday, June 2, 2023
TV: Bally Sports San Diego
MLB Odds: Chicago Cubs +152
MLB Totals: 9
