Cubs look to sweep Padres in NL Wild Card Series
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)
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Cubs -113, Padres -106; over/under is 6 1/2 runs
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)
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Last Night in Baseball: Jacob Misiorowski Is Breaking Historic Ground In Velocity
Houston Astros No-Hit Texas Rangers: Historic Feat By The Numbers
Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami's Electric MLB Start By The Numbers
Big Bets Report: Bettor Banks $290k on 6-Leg MLB Parlay
10 fastest pitches in MLB History: Regular season and playoff records
MLB 2026 Buzz: Marlins’ Janson Junk Lands On 15-Day IL With Shin Inflammation
2026 MLB Odds: Are Yankees Best Bet To Win AL East?
Digging Into MLB’s ‘Loose Bodies’ Problem — And The Technology To Address It
Longest Home Runs in MLB History
Last Night in Baseball: Jacob Misiorowski Is Breaking Historic Ground In Velocity
Houston Astros No-Hit Texas Rangers: Historic Feat By The Numbers
Chicago White Sox: Munetaka Murakami's Electric MLB Start By The Numbers
Big Bets Report: Bettor Banks $290k on 6-Leg MLB Parlay
10 fastest pitches in MLB History: Regular season and playoff records
MLB 2026 Buzz: Marlins’ Janson Junk Lands On 15-Day IL With Shin Inflammation
2026 MLB Odds: Are Yankees Best Bet To Win AL East?
Digging Into MLB’s ‘Loose Bodies’ Problem — And The Technology To Address It
Longest Home Runs in MLB History
