Manny Machado didn’t wait long to make his presence felt before the Padres’ Wild Card series against the Cubs.
During a press conference on Monday, the San Diego third baseman interrupted sports reporter and San Diego native Karthik Venkataraman and took a swipe at the CBS 8 anchor’s clothing. When Venkataraman asked whether Machado liked it, the All-Star answered with a blunt, “Obviously not,” then broke into a smile.
It was a classic Machado moment: sharp, a little mischievous, and impossible to ignore. Whether the jab had anything to do with the Padres’ rivalry with the Los Angeles Dodgers or simply the matchup ahead with Chicago, the message was clear enough. He wants the local media behind San Diego as the club opens the postseason for the third straight year.
Machado’s numbers don’t fully capture how much he has meant to the Padres this season. He finished with 30 homers and 91 RBIs, hit .711 OPS, and played in 158 games, while posting 1.5 bWAR.
The task in front of San Diego is familiar. The Padres and Cubs met in last year’s NL Wild Card series, and Chicago edged San Diego out then.
This time, the Padres enter with the better record, helped by a strong second-half run and a rough closing stretch from the Cubs. Chicago dropped four of its final six games, though it was without All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman for all but one of those contests.
San Diego, meanwhile, surged after the break, going 41-23 in the second half. That stretch featured big performances from stars like center fielder Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr., who both found their best form down the stretch.
The Cubs still bring plenty of firepower, with Bregman and MVP-elect Pete Crow-Armstrong looming as major threats. But the Padres have a real shot in the opening round, and home field gives them an extra edge.
Game 1 is set for Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. PT.
In Other News...
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 🡒]
Cubs Face One Wild Card Problem That Could Decide Everything
The Cubs head into Tuesdays NL Wild Card Series against the Padres with a profile that should keep them competitive: enough offense to pressure opposing staffs and a defense sturdy enough to support a playoff push. That combination has helped carry them into October, but the matchup in San Diego brings a familiar postseason question into focus, and it lands squarely on the pitching side of the ledger.
Kevin Gausmans availability adds another layer of uncertainty to a staff that already has to navigate a tough assignment against a Padres group built around a strong bullpen. In a short series, that can make the opening innings feel especially important for Chicago, because getting ahead early may be the best way to avoid letting San Diegos relief corps control the game. [Read more 🡒]