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The article predicts an offensive-heavy game between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres for their Wild Card playoff matchup, with San Diego favored as a -131 favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook. Despite the typical expectation of tight pitching matchups in Game 1 of playoffs, the article suggests this will be different due to weaknesses in both starting pitchers Michael King and Matthew Boyd that can be exploited by strong lineups from each team. The author bets on an over of 7.5 runs at +100 odds, expecting a high-scoring contest.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-29,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Fernando Tatis Jr. hit the first leadoff homer in Padres playoff history on the Cubs’ first pitch, Michael King took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and San Diego rolled to an 8-0 victory over Chicago in their NL Wild Card Series opener on Tuesday night. Nico Hoerner got Chicago’s only hit off King with a one-out infield single in the seventh. Manny Machado also homered in the first inning and added an RBI double in the third during an emphatic opening statement by the 91-win Padres. Xander Bogaerts also homered off Cubs starter Matthew Boyd, and Jackson Merrill added a two-run single later. King struck out eight over seven innings while thoroughly throttling the majors’ highest-scoring team. The series continues with Game 2 on Wednesday night at Petco Park. San Diego leads the best-of-three series 1-0. The winner will face the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers in the best-of-five division series. Back in 1984, Tony Gwynn and Steve Garvey led the Padres to their first World Series appearance using home-field energy at Jack Murphy Stadium. Current players like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado hope to replicate that success with the support of 3,347,081 fans this season, second only to the Dodgers in total attendance. Last year, San Diego lost 2-1 to the Cubs in a Wild Card game at Wrigley Field. Chicago is now +108 to win Game 2, with the total set at 7.5 runs. Michael King’s performance silenced any doubts about his ability against strong lineups, setting up a potential series clincher for San Diego. The Padres' win marked an emphatic response to Chicago's regular-season dominance and humiliation in July. Hoerner reached on an infield single when Machado couldn’t field cleanly enough to make the play. King’s no-hit bid ended in the seventh inning but he struck out two more batters before being relieved. San Diego is now -131 favorites for Game 2, looking to build momentum and control their path to the division series against Milwaukee. The Cubs' lineup, known for its high walk rate and low strikeout percentage, struggled mightily against King’s approach that induced weak contact despite lower than average strikeouts and walks compared to league standards. Matthew Boyd started for Chicago but was unable to prevent an early deficit due to Tatis Jr.’s leadoff homer and Machado’s first-inning blast. This sets the stage for a pivotal Game 2 where San Diego aims to secure their place in the division series with another strong performance. San Diego hopes to continue leveraging their home-field advantage against Chicago, who now face an uphill battle in reversing last year's elimination at Wrigley Field. The Padres' strategy seems focused on capitalizing on King’s ability to neutralize high-power lineups while maintaining solid defensive support from Machado and others. If successful, San Diego will move closer to avenging their postseason loss from the previous season. The series remains heavily contested, with each team aware of the importance of leveraging home-field energy for a potential division series berth against Milwaukee’s formidable pitching rotation. The focus now shifts to Wednesday night's Game 2 at Petco Park, where San Diego will look to extend their lead and advance further in the playoffs.
Written for “Padres Cubs Wild Card Series” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 12 other(s) covering the same event.
No Wild Card series has tighter odds than Cubs vs. Padres.
asserted
series → have → Padres
San Diego is the home team, which is enough for the bookies at DraftKings Sportsbook to install the Padres as a -120 favorite over Chicago.
asserted
bookies → install → Chicago
That shouldn’t surprise anyone, as the Padres (91-71) finished just two games above the Cubs (89-63) in the regular season.
asserted
Padres → surprise → season
The odds for Game 1 are similarly poised, with San Diego coming in as a slight -131 favorite with Michael King on the mound.
asserted
Diego → poise → mound
Chicago, which will start Matthew Boyd, is +108 to win Tuesday, and the total is set at 7.5 runs.
asserted
total → start → runs
Cubs vs. Padres Game 1 odds, picks
We tend to associate the opening game of a playoff series with pitching.
asserted
We → tend → pitching
Teams tend to deploy their ace in Game 1, and that usually leads to tighter contests and lower totals.
asserted
that → tend → contests
Neither King nor Boyd pitched like the stalwarts we’ll see in other matchups Tuesday nights, and they each have a weakness that can be picked apart by the opposing lineup.
asserted
that → pitch → lineup
As well as King induces weak contact, the 31-year-old really struggles to generate whiffs, and he also has issues filling up the zone.
King ranked in the 38th percentile in strikeout rate, and was in the 40th percentile in walk percentage.
Those numbers are worrisome against a Cubs lineup that was tied for the MLB lead in walk rate and was seventh-best when it came to strikeout rate.
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The concern for Boyd is that he’s unlikely to go out and completely dominate a lineup, especially one that was solid across the board in 2026.
asserted
that → induce → 2026
The southpaw doesn’t rack up strikeouts, and his batted-ball data grades out as average.
asserted
data → rack → strikeouts
Both of these pitchers were able to eat up innings, but that strength gets diminished in the postseason when managers are quick with the hook.
asserted
managers → eat → hook
We are likely to see plenty of pitchers’ duels this postseason, but I’ll bet against this being one of them.
asserted
this → see → them
The Play: Over 7.5 runs (+100, DraftKings)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry.
asserted
Leboff → trust → industry
He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.
asserted
punters → love → sports
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