Guy Boston sees a prime bounce-back spot for the San Diego Padres' offense against Cubs' starter Ben Brown, who struggled in his initial start and features a pitch repertoire San Diego hitters typically thrive against (fastball and knuckle curve). Despite cold Chicago weather conditions with wind blowing in, Boston has faith in the power and depth of San Diego’s projected 1-6 hitters, specifically pointing out their strengths versus right-handed pitchers. While leaning towards a team total over due to concerns over Padres pitching and weather conditions, he clearly favors betting San Diego’s bats to succeed today.

Bettor Mark officially bets San Diego Padres at +120 against Chicago Cubs, expecting the Padres offense to finally break out after dropping the first two games of the ongoing series. He specifically questions Cubs pitcher Ben Brown's effectiveness, suggesting he does not trust Brown's ability to handle San Diego's lineup. Mark sees this as a prime 'get right' Sunday game for San Diego, emphatically endorsing the money line value at plus money odds.

Initially leaning toward Chicago Cubs moneyline, JD Bets reconsidered and finalized betting Over 7.5 runs in the Cubs-Padres matchup. Noting that Cubs pitcher Ben Brown has been inconsistent, conceding multiple runs even in victories, JD expects Chicago's potent offense, which has been scoring prolifically, to contribute significantly to an expected high-scoring scenario. He additionally cited San Diego's recent struggles as further evidence to favor a high-scoring encounter.

It's The Final Round highlighted Fernando Tatis Jr. as his favorite MLB matchup of the day, citing specific reasons targeting Cubs pitcher Ben Brown. Brown primarily throws only two pitches, making pitch identification easier; he throws a four-seam fastball (56% usage) and a knuckle curve (44% usage). Tatis has crushed four-seam fastballs this year, hitting .556 with 5 hits and a home run in 9 at bats, significantly improved from last season's .328 average against this pitch. Additionally, Brown has allowed a .375 batting average against his four-seam fastball and a .400 average against his knuckle curve this year. Tatis also comes in hot, with hits in seven of his last eight games and five multi-hit performances during that span. The recommended props to target are hits, runs, RBIs, or over 1.5 total bases if odds necessitate.

Dylan Rockford strongly advised backing the Padres at plus 105 odds. He cited the Padres' bullpen as currently the best in the league, significantly outperforming the Cubs' inconsistent bullpen situation. While acknowledging a good recent stretch for the Cubs' offense, Rockford downplayed that success as inflated by weaker competition (the Oakland Athletics), making them less trustworthy against tougher matchups. Despite an opening game loss, the Padres are poised to bounce back, especially given that he's priced them as -116 favorites. Adding further support, Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta's strong performance against a strong Braves lineup was highlighted, lending additional confidence to the bet.

Scott Reichel advised caution backing Matthew Boyd despite his seemingly positive first outing (5 innings, no runs). Boyd actually allowed seven baserunners through four hits and three walks, narrowly escaping damage. Given this vulnerability and artificially inflated box-score performance, Reichel preferred taking San Diego at plus money. He acknowledged concerns about Padres pitcher Nick Pivetta, historically shaky but dominant in his first start, indicating this game felt closer to a coin flip. Ultimately, Boyd's deceptive surface stats steered Reichel towards San Diego with better value odds.

Kenny G likes the Padres at even money (+100) against the Cubs, expecting a bounce back after their first loss of the season snapped a 7-game winning streak. He praised Nick Pivetta, who pitched a dominant opening game against the Braves (7 innings, 1 hit, 0 runs, 4 Ks, 0 BB). Kenny also noted the impressive start by key hitters like Fernando Tatis (batting .433) and Jackson Merrill, highlighting the Padres as a top-tier offense. Even though Cubs starter Matthew Boyd was strong against Arizona (5 shutout innings, 5 Ks), Kenny believes facing this elite Padres offense could expose Boyd. Overall, he feels this situational spot offers clear value on San Diego.

Bettor Mark expressed strong interest in betting on the Padres as underdogs at plus 105 against Matthew Boyd and the Chicago Cubs. Pointing to San Diego's solid 7-1 season start, and considering their quiet offensive performance (1 run previously due to strong pitching by their opponent), he sees a significant bounce-back opportunity. Bettor Mark hesitated to officially bet it due solely to weather uncertainties—cold and potential rain—but considers Padres the clear value and advised viewers to strongly lean Padres if playing this game.

Cash Out Sports Picks recommends taking the Padres moneyline in their matchup against the Cubs, citing several key advantages. San Diego starter Nick Pivetta dominated his first outing, allowing just one hit over seven innings against the Cardinals. On the other side, Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, despite a scoreless start against the Diamondbacks, struggled with command in his debut, allowing four hits and issuing three walks. San Diego's lineup ranks eighth with a .772 OPS against left-handers, indicating Boyd could face serious challenges. The Padres bullpen has been outstanding early this season, posting an MLB-best 0.6 ERA and a NL-leading 0.77 WHIP. Their recent run-suppression success makes it difficult for opponents, including a Cubs lineup that managed only three runs on Friday. Given the Padres' elite bullpen, offensive strength, and favorable pitching matchup, San Diego is well positioned to rebound after falling to Chicago in their prior meeting.

Eric Lindquist highlights Sean Manaea as positioned favorably tonight thanks to the frigid conditions and wind blowing strongly in at Wrigley Field. Lindquist emphasizes weather conditions greatly impacting scoring at Wrigley are a primary consideration. He notes that Randy Vasquez, also pitching tonight, looked effective in his first outing with an exceptional 18.8% hard-hit rate allowed. But it is Manaea specifically who Lindquist expects to thrive in tonight's harsh conditions, creating a promising scenario for pitching success.

Mal Bamford likes the Padres as an underdog play (+139) against the Cubs, noting San Diego's impressive 7-0 start behind strong pitching, including Randy Vasquez, who delivered a scoreless outing last game (6 innings, 0 earned runs vs Atlanta). Despite Shota Imanaga pitching well for the Cubs against the Dodgers, Bamford believes the Cubs have been inconsistent and unreliable. He stressed the value in betting a team like the Padres at plus money, considering their excellent form, robust pitching staff, and bullpen (three shutouts in seven games).

Data Skrive highlighted Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki as a strong choice to hit a home run, given favorable odds of +560. Suzuki is off to a hot start this season, homering 4 times in his first 9 games—an impressive 33.3% home run rate. Facing off against the Padres, Suzuki represents great betting value considering his current form.

The Padres, off to a flawless 7-0 start, are slight underdogs (+141) against the Cubs (-166) at Wrigley Field. However, the computer model highlights value with San Diego as the predicted winner despite their betting line. The total (6.5 runs) is also expected to surpass that number, indicating a higher-scoring game anticipated by the analysis.

Eric Pathi recommended taking San Diego Padres at plus 30 cents in their upcoming road game against the Chicago Cubs. Pathi cited that San Diego has been baseball's most profitable team so far, winning seven consecutive games, including a perfect 5-0 record as favorites and 2-0 as underdogs. With Vasquez set to pitch against Imenaga for the Cubs, Pathi sees strong betting value and emphasized the team's successful behind-the-counter numbers as solid rationale for backing the Padres as underdogs.

Matt Perrault believes former Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts is very likely to record at least one hit today against the Cubs. Perrault recalled watching the Cubs on his birthday last year and remains high on Bogaerts' hitting ability. He's confident that coming off an offseason move to San Diego, Bogaerts will demonstrate consistency and deliver against Cubs pitching in today's matchup.

Michael Savio expects Randy Vasquez's road struggles from 2024, where he went 3-4 with a woeful 6.07 ERA, to continue as he faces the Cubs in Chicago. Vasquez looked sharp in his first start at home, but Savio emphasizes that Vasquez is far from a proven commodity and was notably weak on the road last season. Given that the Cubs are starting red-hot ace Shota Imanaga, who has been exceptional with just one run allowed over 11 innings against strong offenses (Dodgers and D-backs), Savio believes the Padres will suffer their first loss of the season, making the Cubs moneyline at +143 a strong betting angle.

It's The Final Round highlighted Jackson Merrill as a consistent profitable selection in recent parlays, specifically noting successful home run betting plays on consecutive days. Merrill also comfortably cleared his hits, runs, RBIs totals, overperforming even a high threshold of 2.5 at plus odds on April 2nd. Given Merrill's demonstrated ability to exceed betting expectations, It's The Final Round strongly implied Merrill will be a featured recommendation moving forward in hits, runs, RBIs category and home run props.