Cubs could torch struggling Padres knuckleballer Matt Waldron in Wednesday matinee series finale

I have seven MLB matinees to choose from on a Wednesday getaway day for many teams, so really no excuse to get the picks wrong on the one I landed on. And that would be Cubs at Padres with a 4:10 first pitch, the last of the matinees. I don't bet road baseball teams much, but this sure sets up well for Chicago facing massively struggling San Diego pitcher Matt Waldron.

DraftKings Cubs-Padres picks (FanDuel)

• Cubs First Five Innings (-120)
• Cubs Team Total Over 3.5 Runs (-180)

It will depend on how old you are, but knuckleballers in the majors used to not be essentially extinct. Tim Wakefield and R.A. Dickey are two I especially remember, with both having very good careers, including Dickey winning the 2012 NL Cy Young Award. But for whatever reason, after those guys, we didn't see knuckleballers in the majors other than maybe position players goofing around on the mound when their team is down double-digit runs in the ninth inning.

The Padres' Waldron, now 30, started utilizing the pitch in the minors in 2021 and has used it consistently since entering the majors in 2023. Waldron simply hasn't used it effectively much, as he's a career 8-16 with a 5.19 ERA, 206 hits and 33 homers allowed in 201.1 career innings. When that knuckler doesn't knuckle, it's basically sitting there on a tee for batters. For example, Waldron's career opponents' batting average on balls In play is a very high .296.

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In two starts this season, Waldron is 0-1 with a 12.46 ERA and 2.31 WHIP – he has allowed exactly eight hits and six runs in each. Granted, those were in Denver and Anaheim, two hitter-friendly parks. Waldron hasn't had an outing at pitcher-friendly Petco Park since 2024, as he was limited to one start in 2025 due a left oblique strain suffered just before Opening Day and then had massive struggles in the minor leagues.