Cubs look to sweep Padres in NL Wild Card Series

By Canadian Press on October 1, 2025.

San Diego Padres (90-72, second in the NL West during the regular season) vs. Chicago Cubs (92-70, second in the NL Central during the regular season)

Chicago; Wednesday, 3:08 p.m. EDT

PITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Dylan Cease (8-12, 4.55 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 215 strikeouts); Cubs: Andrew Kittredge (4-3, 3.40 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 64 strikeouts)

BOTTOM LINE: The Chicago Cubs play the San Diego Padres on Wednesday in Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series. The Cubs have a 1-0 lead in the series and will advance to the NLDS with a win.

Chicago has a 50-31 record in home games and a 92-70 record overall. The Cubs have a 60-12 record in games when they scored five or more runs.

San Diego has a 38-43 record on the road and a 90-72 record overall. The Padres have the second-ranked team ERA in the NL at 3.63.

The teams meet Wednesday for the eighth time this season. The Cubs are ahead 4-3 in the season series.

TOP PERFORMERS: Pete Crow-Armstrong has 37 doubles, four triples, 31 home runs and 95 RBIs for the Cubs. Seiya Suzuki is 9 for 32 with a double and six home runs over the last 10 games.

Fernando Tatis Jr. has 25 home runs, 89 walks and 71 RBIs while hitting .268 for the Padres. Ryan O’Hearn is 16 for 37 with two doubles, a home run and nine RBIs over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Cubs: 5-5, .258 batting average, 3.41 ERA, outscored opponents by 14 runs

Padres: 7-3, .249 batting average, 2.70 ERA, outscored opponents by 23 runs

INJURIES: Cubs: Cade Horton: 15-Day IL (ribs), Owen Caissie: 7-Day IL (concussion), Ryan Brasier: 15-Day IL (groin), Miguel Amaya: 10-Day IL (ankle), Justin Steele: 60-Day IL (elbow)

Padres: Ramon Laureano: 10-Day IL (finger), Nestor Cortes: 15-Day IL (elbow), Jason Adam: 15-Day IL (quadricep), Jhony Brito: 60-Day IL (forearm), Joe Musgrove: 60-Day IL (elbow)

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press