The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs meet in a best of three National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park, starting Tuesday, September 29, with every game on NBC, NBCSN or Peacock. The Padres clinched the top NL wild card and the No. 4 seed on Saturday, September 26, with a win over Arizona, giving them home field for the whole series, and the Cubs are the No. 5 seed. The winner plays the No. 1 Milwaukee Brewers in the NLDS, which begins the weekend of October 3.
Series Score and Odds
Projected Starting Pitchers
| Game | Cubs | Padres |
|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Shota Imanaga | Michael King |
| Game 2 | Clay Holmes | Nick Pivetta |
| Game 3* | Matthew Boyd | Walker Buehler, Casey Mize or Robbie Ray |
San Diego wants five innings from its starters before turning to the best bullpen in baseball. *Game 3 only if necessary. Official probables are confirmed by the teams the day before each game.
Series Schedule
| Game | Date | Site | Time and TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 1 | Tuesday, Sept. 29 | Petco Park | Time to be announced; NBC, NBCSN or Peacock |
| Game 2 | Wednesday, Sept. 30 | Petco Park | Time to be announced; NBC, NBCSN or Peacock |
| Game 3, if needed | Thursday, Oct. 1 | Petco Park | Time to be announced; NBC, NBCSN or Peacock |
MLB and NBC set exact start times and which of NBC, NBCSN or Peacock carries each game once all four Wild Card matchups are known after Sunday’s games. This page is updated as soon as they are announced.
How the Series Works
The Wild Card Series is best of three, and the higher seed hosts every game, so all of it is played in San Diego. The first team to win two games advances to face Milwaukee, which earned the NL’s No. 1 seed and a bye.
How They Got Here
Both teams clinched wild card berths on Thursday, September 24, the Padres with a win at Dodger Stadium for their third straight postseason trip, a club record. San Diego then locked up the top wild card and home field with Saturday’s win over the Diamondbacks, and Chicago settled into the No. 5 seed when Philadelphia lost to Tampa Bay the same night.
Postseason History
The only previous postseason meeting between these teams was the 1984 NL Championship Series. The Cubs won the first two games at Wrigley Field before the Padres swept the final three in San Diego to win the pennant, the franchise’s first.
Related
Padres magic number · Cubs magic number · Wild Card Series schedule · Yankees vs. Red Sox · MLB playoff bracket