Game Recap: Padres blank Cubs to force a decisive Game Three |
Dustin Riese
· · 6 hours ago
CHICAGO - Prior to this week's Wild Card Series between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs, much of the talk centered on how good the Padres' bullpen was, with that being the X-factor in the series. However, it was the Cubs' bullpen that stole the show in game one, tossing 4 2/3 hitless innings to help the Cubs secure the 3-1 win.
With a win-or-go-home scenario facing them on Wednesday, it was the Padres' turn to flip the script on the Cubs as their MLB-best bullpen showed up in a big way to toss 6 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out six. That included another dominating performance from Mason Miller, who struck out five while touching 104 MPH, as the Padres blanked the Cubs 3-0 to even this best-of-three series at 1-1. Coming into this game, there were a lot of questions as to how the Cubs would address the game two starter, especially knowing Shota Imanaga's struggles across the board. Knowing that and having the Padres' best hitters at the top of the lineup, Craig Counsell elected to go with an opener as he called on Andrew Kittredge to take the ball. The top of the Padres' order was a significant reason the Padres lost Game 1, as they combined to go 0-11 against the Cubs in that game. Knowing they would need to set the tone for the Padres to have a chance, Fernando Tatis Jr and Luis Arraez came out swinging as a pair of singles set the Padres up with a two on no out situation. Kittredge came close to stranding both runners, but it was the double steal that proved costly as Jackson Merrill followed that up with a sacrifice fly to put the Padres on top for the second straight game, 1-0. Had they not scored the rest of the way, it would've been enough as Dylan Cease continued his mastery against the team that drafted him. Despite an up-and-down 2025 campaign and his notable playoff struggles, the Cubs are one of those teams he seems to carve up as he entered the game with a 4-0 mark in six career starts with an ERA hovering in the 1.6 range. To make matters worse, his team has never lost a game where he has begun, and he was well on his way to keep that trend moving as he struck out five across 3 1/3 innings before being removed for the dynamic Padres pen. Cease didn't have a ton of traffic to pitch around, allowing a pair of singles to Nico Hoerner and Dansby Swanson, with Seiya Suzuki also adding a double. Apart from that, things were very quiet offensively for the Cubs, as this was the scenario the Cubs feared heading into this series. With Kittredge only going one inning, it was time for Shota Imanaga to make his postseason debut, and for the most part, he pitched as well as the Cubs needed him to. Imanaga did have to work around a leadoff double from Freddy Fermin in the third before having to pitch out of a mini jam in the fourth as the Cubs remained within striking distance at 1-0. It was in the fifth when Imanaga's biggest issue came back to bite him at the worst time, and it came against the one spot in the lineup you can't afford to make mistakes against. What started with a one-out walk to Tatis Jr was followed by another sacrifice bunt from Arraez as the Padres had a runner in scoring position with two outs. Needing to make one more pitch to get out of the inning, Imanaga picked the worst time to make a horrible mistake as Manny Machado unloaded for yet another postseason homer to push the Padres' lead to 3-0. Against any other team, a three-run lead in the fifth wouldn't be safe against this team, but this is the Padres pen, as a three-run lead is almost like a 10-run advantage. Whether it was Adrian Morejon and his 2 1/3 scoreless innings, Miller and his two innings, or Robert Suarez, the Padres matched the Cubs' offense with some of the best in the business as the Cubs were in trouble. Had it not been for their combination of Caleb Thielbar, Colin Rea, Michael Soroka, and Taylor Rogers, there is a chance the Padres would've blown things open, but another scoreless outing kept the Cubs in the game, only to watch them fall to the Padres 3-0. With the loss, all hands will be on deck on Thursday, as it will be a win-or-go-home scenario. Yu Darvish is set to make the start for the Padres, with Jameson Taillon scheduled to take the ball for the Cubs.
