San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs 6/16/22 - MLB Picks & Predictions

Historic Wrigley Field will play host to a Thursday MLB matinee between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs. The Padres (40-24) have won three straight games and have edged ahead of Los Angeles for the top spot in the NL West Division. Last night, San Diego 3B Manny Machado homered and drove in four runs during a 19-5 road triumph against Chicago.

Twenty-nine year old righty Joe Musgrove (7-0 1.50 ERA) is making a strong case for the NL Cy Young Award. In his last two starts, Musgrove has not allowed a run and struck out 14 batters.

The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a nine-game losing streak and have fallen 12.5 games off the pace in the NL Central Division race. On Wednesday, Chicago SP Caleb Killian (0-1) surrendered five runs in four innings and took the loss. Leadoff hitte Christopher Morel homered and drove in three runs in a losing effort for the Cubs (23-39).

Rookie right-hander Matt Swarmer (1-1 4.00 ERA) will make his fourth career major league start for the Cubs. Through 17 innings, Swarmer has fanned 15 batters and owns a sparkling 1.00 WHIP.