Don’t lie, after Game 1, you knew what was going to happen Wednesday night. It was going to be yet another slow march toward elimination, with no hope that the Chicago Cubs were going to do anything against the San Diego Padres’ bullpen. If you expected anything more, I deeply admire your optimism, but it was painfully obvious from the very first at-bat that the Cubs were done. At the end of the night, the Cubs produced the single worst offensive performance in MLB history.
Pete Crow-Armstrong challenged a strike three call that wasn’t even close. Alex Bregman struck out after getting ahead 3-0, and Michael Busch looked caught off guard as Nick Pivetta dropped curveballs at the top of the strike zone. The Cubs were rattled in Game 2, while the Padres quickly jumped on Kevin Gausman in the second inning and delivered the knockout blow in the fourth when Gavin Sheets hit a two-run home run off Daniel Palencia.
The Padres used four relievers after Pivetta went 3.1 innings. Bradgley Rodríguez, Jason Adam, Adrian Morejon, and Mason Miller combined to pitch 5.2 shutout innings, allowing only two hits, a walk, and a fourth-base runner via a hit-by-pitch.
The Cubs were never a threat in San Diego, going 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Craig Counsell’s group led MLB in runs, OPS, and total bases in the regular season, but all that didn’t mean shit at Petco Park. The Cubs tallied eight hits in two games, the fewest among any team in MLB history in a playoff series (minimum two games), while scoring one measly run.
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Nico Hoerner went 4-for-8, including the first hit of the game on Tuesday against Michael King in the seventh inning that broke up a no-hit bid. The second baseman also hit a double on Wednesday in the ninth inning against Miller; it was the only extra-base hit by the Cubs in both games.
Seiya Suzuki had two hits in the series, while Carson Kelly and Tyrone Taylor each recorded one hit for the Cubs against the Padres. Everyone else in the lineup was hitless. As a team, the Cubs posted a slash line of .129/.229/.145 with the lone extra-base hit, 19 strikeouts, seven walks, and the lowest slugging percentage in a multi-game playoff series in MLB history.
Via OptaSTATS.
Lowest slugging percentage in a multi-game postseason series in MLB history:
.145 – 2026 Cubs (NLWC)
.153 – 2020 Twins (ALWC)
.154 – 2022 Rays (ALWC)
.174 – 1998 Rangers (ALDS)
.179 – 2019 Cardinals (NLCS)
Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. But again, that’s exactly what was expected after the Padres had a fully rested bullpen following Game 1’s 8-0 blowout.
Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman were the team’s top hitters this season. They sucked against the Padres. Jim Deshaies said it perfectly before Game 2: the Padres’ star players played like stars; if the Cubs had any chance, then their star players had to be stars. They didn’t. On to next year.
