When this series ends, the Cubs will have played 21 games in 2025, or about 13 percent of the season. Six of those 21 games (28.5 percent) will have been against the Padres — and then there will be no more against San Diego this year, unless the two teams meet in the postseason.

Thanks, schedule-makers.

Since these teams met at Wrigley Field a little over a week ago, the Cubs are 4-2 and the Padres are 5-1 — but San Diego’s record was posted against the A’s and Rockies, who are a combined 9-20 this year, while the Cubs have faced the Rangers and Dodgers, who are a combined 20-13. Which team would you say did better?

For more on the Padres, please visit our SB Nation Padres site Gaslamp Ball.

Fun facts

San Diego is the only current National League city where the Cubs have a winning record: 132-127. They have won more games than they lost on the road against 17 defunct NL teams and are above .500 vs. six current American League teams.

The Cubs’ .510 winning percentage at San Diego is 20 points higher than their next best against a current NL opponent, .490 at Philadelphia. They are .486 at New York vs. the Mets, .482 at Miami and .481 at Boston, Milwaukee and Atlanta vs. the Braves.

…

The Cubs are 41-37, .526, in games at San Diego immediately after having played at Los Angeles vs. the Dodgers. But they went 0-3 in both of their previous such series, in 2012 and 2017.

In first games of all series at San Diego, the Cubs are 64-57, .529.

(Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)

Probable pitching matchups

Monday: Jameson Taillon, RHP (1-1, 6.06 ERA, 1.347 WHIP, 5.19 FIP) vs. Dylan Cease, RHP (1-1, 7.98 ERA, 1.568 WHIP, 2.64 FIP)

Tuesday: Shōta Imanaga, LHP (2-1, 2.70 ERA, 0.900 WHIP, 4.36 FIP) vs. Randy Vásquez, RHP (1-1, 1.72 ERA, 1.213 WHIP, 4.52 FIP)

Wednesday: Matthew Boyd, LHP (1-1, 1.59 ERA, 1.176 WHIP, 3.34 FIP) vs. Nick Pivetta, RHP (2-1, 1.59 ERA, 0.824 WHIP, 2.34 FIP)

Times & TV channels

Monday: 8:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Tuesday: 8:40 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Wednesday: 3:10 p.m. CT, Marquee Sports Network

Prediction

I like these pitching matchups and I think they’re good enough for the Cubs to take two of three, especially since the Padres have built up their current 13-3 mark largely against teams with losing records, while the Cubs have played only one team currently under .500 this year.

Up next

The Cubs have Thursday off, then host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three-game series at Wrigley Field beginning Friday afternoon.

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