If the Cubs are going to extend their season and get back to Wrigley Field in 2026, they’re going to have to do it the hard way in San Diego.
Their NL Wild Card Series against the Padres begins Tuesday night at Petco Park, and this one has all the markings of a brutal toss-up. Chicago brings the game’s best offense and defense into the matchup, but the pitching staff is still a shaky spot. San Diego, meanwhile, arrives as one of baseball’s hottest teams and looks every bit like a club carrying real momentum into October.
The biggest Cubs worry right now is Kevin Gausman. Chicago dealt for the right-hander at the deadline for exactly this kind of moment, but lingering health concerns have put his status for Game 1 in doubt. The rotation has depth, but the Cubs still don’t have a true No. 1 they can lean on when the stakes are highest, and that has been a familiar issue for the organization for years.
At the plate, Chicago has the kind of top-end talent that can change a series in a hurry. Pete-Crow Armstrong and Alex Bregman form a dangerous one-two punch, but Bregman is also just more than a week removed from a frightening injury. He bounced back fast and closed the regular season with a huge game, though he’s expected to be limited to designated hitter duties in the Wild Card Series.
The late innings are where this matchup starts to tilt toward San Diego. The Padres’ bullpen is the separator here, and it’s a nasty one.
Mason Miller, Adrián Morejón, Bradgley Rodriguez and the rest of that group give the Friars real firepower once they get to the back of a game. The Cubs, by contrast, have a lot more uncertainty when the pressure ramps up.
That’s why the opening innings matter so much for Chicago. San Diego ranked 21st in starter ERA this season, but fifth in bullpen ERA, and that gap tells you plenty about how the Padres want this series to unfold. The Cubs need runs early, they need PCA to set the tone, and they absolutely cannot afford to be chasing once the Padres start turning the game over to their relief corps.
In Other News...
Manny Machado Just Added More Heat To Cubs Padres Rivalry
The Cubs postseason matchup with the Padres was already carrying plenty of edge, and Manny Machado managed to add a little more before the first pitch. During a press conference ahead of the Wild Card series, the San Diego third baseman drew attention for a sharp response to reporter Karthik Venkataraman after being asked about the reporters attire, a moment that quickly went viral and gave an already tense series another talking point.
Chicagos side of the bracket does not need much more fuel, but this kind of pregame flashpoint tends to linger once October baseball starts. With Game 1 set for Tuesday night in San Diego, the Cubs now head into a best-of-3 series with a little extra noise surrounding one of the Padres most recognizable players, and little doubt that every early exchange will be watched closely. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Just Learned The Pitching Test Waiting In Game 2
The Cubs now know the pitching challenge waiting in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series, and it comes in the form of Nick Pivetta. San Diego has officially lined up the right-hander for the second game against Chicago, a sign the Padres are comfortable handing a big spot to a pitcher who only recently returned after nearly five months away with an elbow injury.
Pivettas recent starts have gone well enough to earn that trust, which raises the degree of difficulty for a Cubs lineup that already has to navigate October pressure on the road. And if the series pushes to a decisive Game 3, Chicago would likely see another familiar name on the mound in Walker Buehler, giving the Cubs a clear sense that San Diegos pitching plan is built to make every game feel like a different kind of test. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Just Gave The Cubs A Wild-Card Twist To Worry About
The wild-card picture for the Cubs got a little clearer, and a little more complicated, when San Diego unveiled its 26-man roster for the series. The Padres are carrying 15 position players and 11 pitchers, and the group looks built for a short, tactical matchup with enough catching depth to give them options behind the plate. For Chicago, the roster read was a reminder that October baseball often turns on the smallest personnel decisions.
The most notable development is Joe Musgroves return to the postseason roster after missing the 2025 season following Tommy John surgery. He last pitched in the 2024 wild-card series, and his presence adds another experienced arm to a Padres staff that also made a few eye-catching calls at the margins, including keeping Andujar and Sheets while leaving Sung-Mun Song, Wandy Peralta and Randy Vasquez off the list. For the Cubs, the challenge now is figuring out how San Diego intends to deploy all of those pieces once the series gets moving. [Read more 🡒]