Cubs at Padres Preview

SAN DIEGO (Interstat) — The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres conclude their three-game series Wednesday evening at PETCO Park.

First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. PDT under cloudy skies with a temperature of 56 degrees.

The Cubs (18-12) evened the series Tuesday with an 8-3 victory after dropping Monday’s opener 9-7. Chicago has won six of its last eight games overall.

San Diego (19-10) leads the National League West by 1½ games and is seeking its fourth win in six contests.

Pitching matchup

Right-hander Jameson Taillon (1-1, 3.86 ERA) will start for the Cubs. Taillon has allowed three earned runs or fewer in each of his four starts this season.

Right-hander Matt Waldron (0-1, 5.40 ERA) will start for the Padres. Waldron has not pitched beyond the fifth inning in any of his three appearances.

Players to watch

Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera has been Chicago’s most consistent starter, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.70 ERA over his last four outings. In Tuesday’s win, Cabrera allowed three earned runs over 5⅔ innings with seven strikeouts. He has not permitted more than three earned runs in any start this season.

Padres right-hander Walker Buehler has struggled recently. In his last two starts, Buehler has allowed six earned runs over 7⅓ innings. He took the loss Tuesday, giving up two earned runs in 4⅔ innings against the Cubs.

Series context

The Cubs have scored 15 runs over the first two games of the series. Chicago’s bullpen has been effective, with Ryan Rolison and Hoby Milner combining for 3⅓ scoreless innings Tuesday.

San Diego shortstop Xander Bogaerts homered Monday and is hitting .320 over his last seven games.

Betting line

The Cubs are minus-1.5 favorites on the run line. The over/under is 9 runs. Interstat’s game simulator projects an 8-7 Cubs victory, while the ELO system gives San Diego a 50.9 percent probability to win.

Up next

The Cubs return home Friday to begin a three-game series against Arizona. The Padres host the Chicago White Sox for a three-game set starting Friday.