Wild Card Series Preview: Padres meet Cubs in The Gaslamp; Musgrove returns as postseason reliever
Armando Dueñas
Host · Writer
SAN DIEGO — For the second consecutive season, The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs will meet again in a best-of-three National Wild Card Series. The difference?
Home field advantage for the Friars.
Game 1, which is slated for a 7:00 p.m. PT start on Tuesday, will be played in front of an expected sold out Petco Park crowd.
Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA), perhaps the Padres' most reliable starting pitcher, will counter Chicago lefty Matthew Boyd (10-5, 3.91 ERA) on the mound while both clubs' star-studded lineups go head-to-head in what should be an electric display from the likes of Fernando Tatis Jr. and NL MVP front-runner Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Cubs-Padres in San Diego is gonna get WILD
Can't wait for this series to start on Tuesday
(MLB x @AbbVie) pic.twitter.com/n7IfCc2hij
— MLB (@MLB) September 27, 2026
San Diego's second-half surge ultimately carried them to their fifth postseason berth in seven years. On July 24, the Padres entered a series against the Miami Marlins with a 50-53 record and appeared headed toward being sellers at the trade deadline.
In remarkable fashion, they managed to win 41 of their last 59 contests to finish 91-71, fourth best in the NL.
Their lineup, starting staff, and lights out bullpen are hard to beat when clicking simultaneously.
Our 2026 Wild Card Roster: pic.twitter.com/v6cTJhd6N8
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 29, 2026
That's why it'll have to do so against Chicago.
Despite a disappointing finish to their regular season and losing the NL's no. 4 seed to the Friars, the Cubs still sport one of the league's most potent offenses.
Led by Pete Crow-Armstrong, their +138 run differential ranked fourth best in all of baseball while leading the league in runs scored (805).
It's been 727 days…
Joe Musgrove. Playoff reliever. The right-handed pitcher, who has primarily been a starter in his career, is on the Padres' Wild Card roster after various rehab setbacks since undergoing Tommy John surgery in October '24.
If you remember, Musgrove's last Major League start came that same season when he was pulled from his WC Series start against the Atlanta Braves after hurling 3 2/3 innings while striking out four hitters.
The veteran will now be inserted into a fierce San Diego bullpen, where his experience and now shorter work load might come handy in a short series. He's available to return to the mound as soon as Tuesday's opener.
