The Cubs are moving on to the National League Division Series and, in a twist, they did it with pitching.
Chicago had one of baseball's best offenses all season but were able to outlast the Padres in a tight best-of-three wild-card series thanks to an outstanding showing from their rotation and relief corps, plus some timely offense. The Cubs' 3-1 win in Game 3 on Thursday to clinch the series exemplified that formula.
As the Cubs move on to face the rival Brewers in the next round, here are three takeaways from their series win over the Padres.
Cubs Have the Pitching to Carry Them
We'll get to San Diego's offensive futility in a moment, but for now, we're going to praise Chicago's pitching. The Cubs allowed five runs in 27 innings of baseball against a lineup with several All-Stars. The team's bullpen was atrocious to begin the season, but has been nails in the second half. If not for Shota Imanaga surrendering a two-run home run to Manny Machado, the entire staff would have allowed three runs in the three games.
Reliever Andrew Kittredge started Game 2, and if you consider him a reliever and Imanaga a starter, the team's relief corps allowed two runs in 14 2/3 innings. A remarkable showing.
Another hat-tip goes to Jameson Taillon, who was excellent in Game 3. In four innings, he allowed no runs on two hits while striking out four and walking none. That continued an outstanding run for him. After returning from the IL on Aug. 19, the veteran righty went 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA, with 24 strikeouts against seven walks in 34 1/3 innings.
If they get Cade Horton back to combine with Matthew Boyd, Imanaga, and a resurgent Taillon, the Cubs may have something brewing.
Padres Offense No-Shows Again
San Diego ended the 2024 season on a 24-inning scoreless streak as it was unceremoniously dumped out of the playoffs by the Dodgers. The 2025 postseason was almost an exact repeat. Sure, they scored a 3-0 win in Game 2, but the team's offense was an absolute no-show for most of the three games.
The top three of San Diego's lineup, Fernando Tatis Jr., Luis Arraez, and Manny Machado, were 0-for-10 with three strikeouts in the decisive Game 3, after boasting the exact same line in Game 1. Same story, different day. The Cubs also exploited manager Mike Shildt's decision to line up three lefties—Ryan O'Hearn, Gavin Sheets, and Jake Cronenworth—in a row by firing lefties at them all series. Cronenworth alone went 0-for-11 with three strikeouts in the three games and looked completely overmatched.
A ninth-inning Jackson Merrill home run rescued San Diego from a shutout in Game 3, but in their last 51 playoff innings, the offense has produced five runs. That's simply not good enough.
The Padres are in for some changes this offseason. First on the agenda should be reworking the lineup to add some power. They ranked 22nd in slugging percentage (.390) as a team this season and were 28th in home runs (152). They have built a small-ball attack that helped them reach the playoffs, but that approach has not served the team once it has gotten there.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Finally Comes Through
After a brilliant first half, Crow-Armstrong fell apart down the stretch, leaving a once-dominant Cubs offense without a key contributor. Through the first two games of the series, it was more of the same as he was 0-for-6 with five strikeouts. On Thursday, his bat woke up a bit.
The 23-year-old went 3-for-4 and drove in the game's first run in the second inning with a single off Yu Darvish. The ball looked much better coming off his bat on Thursday.
After the All-Star break, Crow-Armstrong slashed .188/.237/.395 with a woeful wRC+ of 45. If Chicago is going to make a serious run, he needs to be more like the guy he was in the first half, when he slashed .265/.302/.544 and his wRC+ was 131.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Three Takeaways From the Cubs' Tight Wild-Card Series Win Over the Padres.
