Entering the 2026 playoffs, 15 of the 16 Game 1 winners in the Wild Card round since 2022 have advanced to the Division Series. The Chicago Cubs are now facing elimination in their best-of-three series against the San Diego Padres after losing 8-0 in Tuesday night’s opener.
Not only did the Cubs lose the first game, but the Padres also kept their elite relief pitchers rested as starting pitcher Michael King shut down the Cubs’ offense for seven innings. The righty only allowed a single to Nico Hoerner in the seventh inning and three walks, while striking out eight batters.
Meanwhile, Matthew Boyd gave up a home run on the first pitch he threw to Fernando Tatis Jr., and the Cubs were down 2-0 after four pitches in the bottom of the fourth, following Manny Machado’s solo home run. Now, the Cubs are in survival mode heading into Game 2 that will feature a pitching matchup of Kevin Gausman vs. Nick Pivetta.
The Padres are obviously in a great spot as they won’t be the desperate ones; however, they could also be ultra-aggressive with their bullpen if they grab an early lead. After King pitched seven shutout innings, San Diego only needed 11 pitches from Yuki Matsui and got one inning from Joe Musgrove, who hasn’t pitched since 2024. That means Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, Bradgley Rodriguez, and David Morgan will be ready to get unleashed in Game 2, fully rested.
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That’s why winning the first game of the Wild Card Series since the format changed to a best-of-three round in 2022 has been such a big deal. Not only can the winner of Game 1 play more aggressively in Game 2 with a lead, but even if they lose, the team that ties the series has pretty much exhausted its top relievers by the time it reaches Game 3. In this case, the Cubs are in even worse shape, since the Padres didn’t have to use any of their best relievers in the blowout win.
If you’re the Cubs, you have to think that all hands are on deck. That means Clay Holmes and David Peterson, along with their best relievers, will be used if needed, which would put them in a spot where they’ll have to piece together their pitching staff in a deciding Game 3.
As for the pitching matchups, Gausman is still dealing with some discomfort in his left shoulder. He may go four innings at best on Wednesday. No idea what he can provide while he deals with the shoulder issue. As for Pivetta, he came off the injured list in early September after missing five months with a right elbow flexor strain. The right-hander started four games down the stretch and was great, posting a 1.45 ERA with 18 strikeouts and two walks in 18.2 innings.
Last year, Pivetta struck out nine in five innings, but took the loss after allowing two solo home runs to Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly en route to a 3-1 Cubs win in Game 1 of the 2025 Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field.
