The Padres are moving on, and they did it with a clean 4-1 win over the Cubs on Wednesday night to complete the sweep and set up a National League Division Series matchup with the Brewers.
San Diego got the night started with Xander Bogaerts driving in a run with an RBI single. Then Ethan Salas, making his first postseason plate appearance at 20 years old, added a sacrifice fly to make it a two-run cushion. Gavin Sheets finished the scoring with a towering two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth, a swing that stretched the lead and put the game out of reach.
Nick Pivetta handled the early innings, striking out four across 3.1 frames while giving up one earned run. From there, the bullpen took over and barely let Chicago breathe, allowing just one walk and one hit the rest of the way.
The sweep also locked in the NLDS schedule. Game 1 will begin Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
PT/8:30 p.m. ET, with Game 2 set for Sunday at 1 p.m.
PT/4 p.m. ET.
Wednesday’s win came a night after Joe Musgrove authored a moment that carried real weight. He made history not seen since 1945 after his emotional performance to close out Tuesday’s game, then talked afterward about how much the reception from Petco Park meant to him.
“It’s humbling to see the ovation that I got,” Musgrove said. “It’s been really hard for me to sit back and, you know, with the contract and all, and not pitch for two years.
I’ve done everything in my power to get back on the mound, and it just hasn’t gone my way. But to still be welcomed back like that and give me that boost in the ninth was huge.”
Salas also made a mark in the wild-card round beyond his RBI sacrifice fly. He became the youngest player ever to appear as a catcher in a postseason game, and he’ll now chase his first career postseason hit when the NLDS begins.
The wild-card round was loaded with Padres moments, and now the focus shifts to Milwaukee.
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