The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres begin the National League wild card series at Wrigley Field on Tuesday, Sept. 30, with both teams hoping to grab a crucial lead in the best-of-three set.
The Cubs (92-70) won the NL’s top wild card spot to earn home-field advantage against the Padres (90-72), who are making consecutive postseason appearances for just the second time in franchise history. The two teams haven’t met since April, splitting the six matchups early in the season.
‘What’s really cool is through the ups and downs of the season, our belief has not wavered, our belief of where we stand in the overall calculus in this league and whatnot and who we are,’ Cubs Game 1 starter Matthew Boyd told reporters.
Said Padres third baseman Manny Machado: ‘We’ll try to reach our goal, which is to bring the championship to the city of San Diego. We have a group of guys that can do it, and now we’ve just got to go out there and do it.’
Follow for live updates on Tuesday:
What time is Cubs vs Padres game?
First pitch is scheduled for 3:08 p.m. ET at Wrigley Field.
Cubs vs Padres TV channel, live stream
Tuesday’s game is airing on ABC and can be streamed with Fubo.
Watch Cubs vs. Padres in MLB playoffs
Cubs v. Padres 2025 head-to-head record
The Cubs and Padres went 3-3 against one another this year. The teams played only two series head-to-head this season, with the Cubs winning the first series 2-1 and the Padres winning the next series 2-1 just a week later.
Across those six games, both teams scored exactly 25 runs. This could be as evenly matched a playoff series as we’ll see all year.
Padres vs. Cubs pitching matchup
Padres: Nick Pivetta (13-5, 2.87 ERA)
Pivetta’s postseason experience is limited to three games with the 2021 Red Sox, where he earned a solid 2.63 ERA.
Pivetta made two starts against the Cubs back in April, with one great start and another troubling start. In his first start which took place at Wrigley Field, Pivetta only lasted three innings, surrendering three earned runs on six hits. In his next start though, Pivetta played well in front of his home crowd, tossing six innings of one-run ball, only allowing four hits and a walk, while striking out six.
Cubs: Matthew Boyd (14-8, 3.21 ERA)
Boyd has struggled recently, posting an ERA over 5 over his last 11 starts. It was a far cry from the 2.20 ERA we saw from him in the first half of the season as Boyd earned his first All-Star bid.
That said, Boyd has a lot of factors going his way. Most notably, he was spectacular in the postseason for Cleveland a season ago, posting a 0.77 ERA across three games. He played a pivotal role in helping Cleveland reach the ALCS. Furthermore, Boyd pitched very well against the Padres earlier this year, surrendering only two runs across 11.1 innings in two starts against the Friars this year.
Padres lineup today
Fernando Tatis Jr. (R) RF
Luis Arraez (L) 1B
Manny Machado (R) 3B
Jackson Merrill (L) CF
Xander Bogaerts (R) SS
Ryan O’Hearn (L) DH
Gavin Sheets (L) LF
Jake Cronenworth (L) 2B
Freddy Fermin (R) C
Cubs lineup today
Michael Busch (L) 1B
Nico Hoerner (R) 2B
Ian Happ (S) LF
Kyle Tucker (L) DH
Seiya Suzuki (R) RF
Carson Kelly (R) C
Pete Crow-Armstrong (L) CF
Dansby Swanson (R) SS
Matt Shaw (R) 3B
Cubs vs Padres gambling odds
Cubs vs Padres predictions
USA TODAY Sports’ MLB experts are split on the best-of-three wild card series between Chicago and San Diego:
Bob Nightengale: Cubs in 3
Gabe Lacques: Padres in 2
Jesse Yomtov: Padres in 2