CHICAGO — The season is on the line for the Padres, who will try to stave off elimination in the best-of-three NL Wild Card Series when they face the Cubs once more at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 2:08 p.m. CT/12:08 p.m. PT.
But after a 3-1 Cubs victory Tuesday, San Diego manager Mike Shildt didnâ€t seem bothered by the suddenly precarious state of this series.
“We’ll see where the game presents,†Shildt said. “Clearly our backs are against it, but look, our club is no stranger to challenges. We’re battle-tested, we’ll answer the bell [Wednesday], and we’ll go from there.â€
The Cubs will take the field with history on their side. In best-of-three Wild Card Series, teams that have won Game 1 at home have finished the series in a sweep all seven times. Game 1 winners, in general, have gone on to win the series 18 of 20 times.
One of those two exceptions? The 2020 Padres.
“Obviously, it just gets us one closer,” Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson said of the Game 1 win. “But at the end of the day, weâ€ve got to be able to show up [Wednesday] with some intensity and be ready to compete again, because I know they will.â€
When is the game, and how can I watch it?
Game 2 will air at 2 p.m. CT/noon PT on ABC. The start time for a potential Game 3 on Thursday remains TBD.
All series are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV with authentication to a participating Pay TV provider. Games also are available live internationally, although not in Canada. Sportsnet is MLB’s exclusive English language broadcaster in Canada for every Postseason game, while TVA Sports will be covering the entire AL Postseason and the World Series in French and Broadcaster RDS will cover the entire NL Postseason in French.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Padres: RHP Dylan Cease (8-12, 4.55 ERA)
Cease struggled for much of the summer but was better down the stretch, posting a 3.12 ERA with 32 strikeouts in five September starts. A Cubs 2014 Draft pick before he was dealt to the White Sox in July 2017 as a Minor Leaguer, Cease has also been excellent throughout his career at Wrigley Field, with a 2.50 ERA in three starts. That said, after Ceaseâ€s struggles throughout the summer, itâ€s possible the Padres would have a quick hook with the right-hander, given their loaded bullpen.
Cubs: RHP Andrew Kittredge (4-3, 3.40 ERA)
Cubs manager Craig Counsell played it coy about his Game 2 starter, and now the reason has been revealed. He is planning on using the veteran Kittredge as an opener after the righty worked a clean eighth inning in Game 1. The Cubs acquired Kittredge at the Trade Deadline, and he has been a key piece to the bullpen, with a 3.32 ERA and 32 strikeouts against three walks in 21 2/3 innings since joining the club. In all likelihood, lefty Shota Imanaga will be available for a bulk outing behind Kittredge. This way, Imanaga (who has struggled of late and has been homer prone) would have less exposure to the top of San Diegoâ€s order.
What are the starting lineups?
While Ramón Laureano recovers from a fractured right index finger, the Padres have used Sheets as their regular left fielder, which skews the lineup a bit lefty-heavy — particularly toward the bottom, where theyâ€ve lined up three straight lefty hitters from six through eight.
Facing another right-hander, the Cubs are sticking with the same lineup from the Game 1 win. It was also the way the order looked at the very end of the season following Tuckerâ€s return. Suzuki and Kelly powered the offense to the series-opening win with back-to-back homers off righty Nick Pivetta in the fifth inning.
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Padres: Hereâ€s where things get interesting. Michael King, who wasnâ€t included in the Wild Card Series rotation, is available in relief if Cease struggles early. Beyond King, the entire back end of the San Diego bullpen is well-rested enough, with none of the relievers having worked multiple innings on Tuesday. As usual, Robert Suarez would get the ninth, and Mason Miller will have the highest-leverage spots outside the ninth, with Adrian Morejon available to tackle the toughest lefties.
Cubs: This would normally be Imanagaâ€s scheduled start day, but using Kittredge as an opener points to having the lefty enter in relief. On the season, Imanaga allowed 31 homers in 144 2/3 innings, compared to 27 in 173 1/3 innings last season. In his final six turns this year, the lefty had a 5.97 ERA with 12 homers surrendered in 34 2/3 frames. If not Imanaga, righty Colin Rea could also be an option. Counsell used his main bullpen group (Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, Brad Keller and Kittredge) to lock down the Game 1 win, but like Kittredge, they should all be at the ready for Game 2.
Padres: Laureano remains sidelined with a finger fracture, which is costly for a Padres team that already skewed heavy on left-handed hitters. Itâ€s possible heâ€d return in a later round of the playoffs. Elias DÃaz, meanwhile, could be back for the Division Series, if the Padres were to advance. But heâ€s not on their Wild Card Series roster, leaving Luis Campusano and MartÃn Maldonado as their backups behind Fermin.
Cubs: Tucker was the DH for Game 1, as he continues to build back to full speed when it comes to running. He missed three-plus weeks in September due to a left calf issue, but was cleared to return in time for the playoffs. It isnâ€t clear yet when Tucker will return to the outfield. Righty Cade Horton (15-day injured list, right rib fracture) is likely out for the playoffs†first two rounds.
Who is hot and who is not?
Padres: The Padres only had four hits in Game 1, but Bogaerts had two of them. Tatis and Arraez finished the regular season strong, but both went hitless in Game 1. In fact, the Padres’ trio at the top of the lineup — Tatis, Arraez, Machado — finished Tuesdayâ€s game a combined 0-for-11.
Cubs: Suzuki ended the regular season with a homer in each of his last four games, belting five total in that span. He then launched a game-tying shot in Game 1 of this series. That made Suzuki the first player in MLB history to enter the postseason on a four-game homer streak to then hit another one in his first playoff game. After hitting .333 with an .842 OPS in September, Hoerner had two hits and a sacrifice fly in the Game 1 win. Crow-Armstrong went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in Game 1.
Anything else fans might want to know?
• The Padres and Cubs have split six postseason games all-time, but the Padres have never won a game at Wrigley Field. All three of their victories came in 1984, when they rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win a best-of-five NL Championship Series.
• Across their last 33 postseason innings, the Padres have scored just one run, dating back to the NLDS against the Dodgers last year.
• The Cubs are trying to clinch their first postseason series win at Wrigley Field since Kyle Hendricks outdueled Clayton Kershaw to beat the Dodgers in Game 6 of the 2016 NLCS. Both the ’16 World Series win over Cleveland and the ’17 NLDS win over the Nationals were on the road.
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