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Greg Maddox' and his 350th career win has been the highlight of a miserable start of the San Diego Padres season. The team sits at 14-25 through the first 39 games and playing what GM Brian Tower describes as boring baseball. The Padres sit last in Major League Baseball in hitting batting .231 as a team an averaging only 3.4 runs per game. The Padres strand runners at nearly 8 per game and strikeout a league high 7.4 times per game, also a league high. There has been a shake up in the roster as 6 players have either been released or sent down to the minors. Maddux is 3-3 on the season with an ERA of 3.60 and could be trade bait for a team looking for a playoff push. A troubling stat here is Maddux' ERA is 3 ½ runs higher on the road. The Cubbies entered the week tied with the Cardinals in first place in the NL Central. Dempster is having a great start to the season. The former Cub reliever sports and ERA of 2.76 in 8 starts this season. Dempster has given up 3 earned runs or less in 7 of his 8 starts this season. The Padres are not worth taking in this spot and Maddux' home road splits this season warrant a play against him. Take the favored Cubs at –140.