The Cubs and Padres are headed for another Wild Card showdown, and this time San Diego gets the edge.
For the second straight season, Chicago and San Diego will meet in the MLB Playoffs’ Wild Card round. The Padres earned the right to host after a scorching September run, while the Cubs lost home-field advantage in the final week of the regular season. San Diego’s 10-7 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday settled the matchup and sent the Cubs on the road for Game 1.
That result also takes Sunday’s Cubs-Red Sox finale at Tropicana Field out of the standings picture for Chicago. The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, still have a path to the final Wild Card spot if they beat the Padres on Sunday and the Philadelphia Phillies lose.
The Cubs did take the season series from San Diego, 4-2, but the two clubs haven’t seen each other since late June, when Chicago swept the Padres at Wrigley Field. The Padres had already won two of three at Petco Park in April, and both teams arrive in this rematch looking different from the last time they met.
San Diego has ripped through September, winning 17 of its last 21 games to surge into host position. The Padres also grabbed a crucial series from the Los Angeles Dodgers this past week, while the Cubs stumbled with two of three at home against the Miami Marlins and then dropped both games of Friday’s doubleheader against the Red Sox.
Chicago’s travel has been relentless, too. The Cubs left Chicago for Boston Thursday night, flew from Boston to St. Petersburg Friday night, and now are set to head cross-country to California for Game 1 in San Diego.
There is still one pitching situation worth watching for the Cubs on Sunday. Veteran starter Kevin Gausman is scheduled to throw a bullpen session, and Chicago is hoping he feels better after hurting his left shoulder earlier this week against the Marlins. Gausman made a diving tag at third base in his last regular-season start and landed awkwardly on the shoulder on the play.
Gausman is projected to start Game 1 for the Cubs, but that depends on how he comes out of Sunday’s throwing session.
The last time these teams met in October, the Cubs beat the Padres in three games to move on to the NLDS in 2025. That series was tight from start to finish, with Chicago outscoring San Diego by just 6-5 over the best-of-three matchup.
The Padres’ rise has come at the perfect time. After dropping a road series to the Cincinnati Reds at the start of September, they’ve gone 14-2 and piled up series wins over the New York Yankees, Washington Nationals, San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, and Miami Marlins. The competition hasn’t always been elite, with the Yankees standing out as the toughest opponent in that stretch, but the results have been impossible to ignore.
Over those 16 games, San Diego has had the No. 1 offense in MLB, posting a 140 wRC+ and averaging six runs per game, which ranks second in the league.
In Other News...
Cubs Lineup Faces One Early Test That Could Swing Game 1
The Cubs will walk into Petco Park on Tuesday night with the postseason spotlight already centered on a familiar kind of problem: a right-hander who can make even a good lineup uncomfortable early. San Diego has confirmed Michael King as its Game 1 starter in the National League Wild Card Round, and that sets up an immediate test for a Chicago offense that will need to adjust quickly to the way he works the edges, changes eye levels and leans on a mix that can get hitters reaching.
For Chicago, the focus is less on the matchup label than on the specific pitch shapes it will see and how quickly the lineup can sort them out. Kings sinker and change-up are the pitches that matter most here, and the Cubs best chance to take control of the series opener may come down to which hitters can stay disciplined enough to force him into the zone. If they can do that early, Game 1 starts to look very different. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Still Don't Know If Their Deadline Ace Can Start Game 1
Kevin Gausman took another step on the mound before the Cubs faced the Red Sox, throwing a bullpen session as the club continues to sort through its Wild Card pitching plans. The shoulder issue he picked up last week has left his status unsettled, and for a team headed into October, that kind of uncertainty is enough to keep every start in the rotation under review.
The Cubs are expected to make a call soon on whether Gausman will even be on the Wild Card roster, much less available to start Game 1 or Game 2. If he cannot go, Chicago has alternatives to weigh, with Matthew Boyd among the leading possibilities and other arms such as Imanaga, Braxton Garrett, Clay Holmes and David Peterson all part of the discussion as the playoff picture comes into focus. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Bregman Suddenly Looms Large In Cubs Wild Card Opener
The Cubs now know they will see Michael King in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series at Petco Park, giving Chicago an early look at one of San Diegos most effective arms. King closed the season with a 3.21 ERA and was especially sharp after July, the kind of starter who can make a short series feel even shorter if the opposing lineup doesnt find answers quickly.
For Chicago, Alex Bregman is one of the names that can change that script. Fresh off a return from facial fractures, he brings both postseason experience and a strong track record against King, and he has been among the games best hitters since the All-Star break. In a matchup that already figures to be tight, Bregmans presence gives the Cubs a veteran bat with the kind of history that can tilt a big October night. [Read more 🡒]