Padres vs. Cubs Prediction and Odds for Wednesday, June 15 (Can Cubs Snap Losing Streak?)

The 23-38 Chicago Cubs have lost eight straight as they host the 39-24 San Diego Padres tonight at 8:05 PM EST.

Heavy winds are expected at Wrigley today, when Caleb Kilian makes his second career start against Ryan Weathers, who is making his first start of 2022.

Kilian is a top prospect for the Cubs and held the Cardinals to three runs over five innings in his debut. He was electric in the minors, allowing one or fewer run in eight of his 10 starts.

Weathers, on the other hand, has been a disaster. He's compiled a 7.29 ERA over 12 minor league starts and allowed four or more runs in each of his last three.

Can Killian earn his first major league win or will San Diego extend Chicago's losing streak?

Let's check out the odds from WynnBET Sportsbook to help find the value in this Padres vs Cubs matchup:

Padres vs Cubs Odds, Run Line and Total

Run Line:

• Padres +1.5 (-155)
• Cubs -1.5 (+130)

Moneyline:

• Padres: +125
• Cubs: -135

Total:

• 12.0 (Over -105/Under -115)

Padres vs Cubs Prediction and Pick

It's a bit jarring to see the Cubs as such large favorites in the midst of an eight-game losing streak, but that speaks to the jarring discrepancy between Caleb Kilian and Ryan Weathers.

Kilian had a sparkling 2.37 FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) in Double-A last season and picked up right where he left off, amassing a 2.51 ERA in Triple-A this year before getting called up last week. His underlying numbers were more impressive than the three runs he gave up in five innings against St. Louis and I expect big things for the 25-year-old moving forward.

As good as Kilian has been in the minors over the last couple of years, Weathers has been just as bad. He has a 10.44 ERA over his last six starts and has struggled to prevent home runs. With how much wind is blowing out to center field, Cubs fans should try to snag some seats in the outfield because I'm expecting some absolute blasts today.

While this is Weathers' first start in the majors this season, he spent all of last year with the big league club in San Diego. Things did not go well. The Padres have lost eight consecutive games he's started, with seven of those losses coming by multiple runs.

All of that being said, I don't trust Chicago's bullpen right now. They're 27th in ERA and have routinely blown leads over the last month. Thus, I'm rolling with the Cubs first five innings on the moneyline at -140 to hone in on Kilian's advantage over Weathers. Why worry about a late blown lead if we don't have to, right?

Pick: Cubs First Five Innings (-140)

Follow all of Joe Summers' betting picks here.