NL Wild Card Series Game 1 Recap: Cubs 3, Padres 1

[Paul Niemiec]

Image courtesy of © David Banks-Imagn Images

Nothing says postseason baseball like an 80° day in Chicago on the eve of October. Whether or not the temperature reflects normal fall weather, though, the Cubs and the Padres met in the postseason for the first time since 1984. Cubs (de facto) ace Matthew Boyd took on a starter whom they should have pursued in the offseason: Nick Pivetta. Pivetta is coming off of the best year of his career, wherein he posted a 13-5 record with a 2.87 ERA and 5.3 WAR. Pivetta was dominant to begin the game, striking out 6 in his first 4 innings, while only allowing 1 hit. The 5th inning ended up being the decisive blow to the Friars, with Seiya Suzuki staying red-hot by belting a solo shot to left. Immediately after that, Carson Kelly launched another solo home run. The Cubs remained up by a run until the bottom of the 8th, when a Nico Hoerner sacrifice fly added an insurance run, and the bullpen remained sharp. Brad Keller shut the door in the 9th, to give the Cubs their first postseason win since 2017.

That's the view from 10,000 feet, but let's break it down from an in-the-ballpark perspective. For instance: fans were on edge before the game started. Cubs alumnus and 2015 Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta was tasked with throwing out the first pitch, which sailed wide right, over the head of Jordan Wicks. Superstitious Cubs fans were hoping this wasn't an omen, but worrying that it was.

Boyd attacked the zone early and put up a 1-2-3 first inning versus the top of the Padres’ lineup, which featured Fernando Tatis Jr, Luis Arraez, and Manny Machado. In the bottom of the inning, Michael Busch got fans on their feet with a long fly ball that died at the warning track. Hoerner got the Cubs in the hit column with a single, but Ian Happ and Kyle Tucker both went down on strikes to end the inning.

San Diego got onto the board in the second. Sophomore star Jackson Merrill led off the inning with a double, on a flare into wide-open space in right field. Shortstop Xander Bogaerts then hit another double, scoring Merrill. Pete Crow-Armstrong's throw to second skipped free on the infield, too, allowing Bogaerts to scamper to third. The game could have cracked open right then and there.

Instead, against the very next batter, a diving Dansby Swanson saved a hit and a run. Boyd was able to retire the side with only one run scoring. Pivetta, however, added two more strikeouts in the bottom of the second, punching out Carson Kelly and Crow-Armstrong. 

In the third, Boyd retired the side in order, getting Freddy Fermin and Tatis to ground out before striking out Arraez. The latter drew a huge roar from the crowd, still trying to maintain their raucous energy, fueled by an understanding that Arraez is the toughest hitter in the league to punch out. Pivetta matched Boyd in the bottom of the inning with a 1-2-3 of his own, striking out Matt Shaw. 

Boyd stranded another runner in scoring position in the top of inning number 4. He started the inning by walking Machado, whom Merrill bunted over to second. Bogaerts reached with an infield single, which moved Machado to third and threatened to give San Diego some insurance again. Boyd got Ryan O'Hearn to pop out to Swanson, who made a running catch a la Davante Adams to save another run. Boyd got out of the inning unscathed after retiring Gavin Sheets on a flyout to center. Pivetta, once again, retired the side in order in the bottom of the inning, adding yet another strikeout.

Boyd started the top of the fifth with a strikeout of Jake Cronenworth. Ninth hitter and catcher Freddy Fermin singled to center field, though, and surprisingly, Craig Counsell went to the bullpen. Boyd had only given up four hits and thrown 58 pitches. Daniel Palencia retired both Tatis and Arraez in order, despite allowing some hard contact. In the bottom of the inning, Suzuki and Kelly put the Cubs on the board and in front with their back-to-back home runs—although, after the blows fell, Pivetta struck out Crow-Armstrong, Swanson, and Shaw in order, ending his day with a flourish.

Palencia stayed in the game for the 6th, where he struck out Machado with a dirty slider and then Merrill on a 101-mph fastball. He retired Bogaerts next to retire the side. The Cubs got it going again in the bottom of the inning against lefty Adrian Morejon. Busch and Hoerner started the inning off with singles, but as quickly as the rally started, Happ ended it with a 5-4-3 double play. Tucker wasn’t able to do anything with 2 outs and nobody on.

In the seventh, Pomeranz relieved Palencia and retired the side with little issue. Although O’Hearn and Sheets hit hard line drives, the Padres went down in order. After Eddie Vedder performed the seventh-inning stretch, the Padres' surprise trade acquisition Mason Miller relieved Morejon and did what everyone expected him to do: strike out the side in order, on some truly unhittable stuff. 

Andrew Kittredge entered in the top of the eighth, and breezed through Fermin, Tatis and Arraez. Ex-Cub Jeremiah Estrada relieved Miller in the bottom of the inning, and the Cubs were able to tack on an insurance run. Swanson led off with a single, and Shaw’s swinging bunt moved Swanson to second. After Padres manager Mike Shildt pulled an Oli Marmol by walking Michael Busch, karma hit: a passed ball allowed the runners to advance. Hoerner drove in Swanson with a sacrifice fly before lefty Wandy Peralta entered to strike out Happ.

New closer(?) Brad Keller came in to shut the door in the 9th. He immediately retired Machado on a ground ball to short and Merrill on a flyout to center. The only drama came at the beginning of Bogaerts's at-bat. Keller considered stepping off to adjust his PitchCom device's volume, then realized it was too late in the pitch clock to make that request. By the time he regained the rubber, Bogaerts had looked toward the home-plate umpire and asked for time, but again, it was too late for that, according to the rules. Initially, Bogaerts was assessed a strike, but after a conference between the umpires, he was charged the timeout instead. It was a good little compromise; Keller created the problem and the eventual call avoided punishing Bogaerts for it. Besides, it did not matter, as Bogaerts struck out looking. 

The Cubs go for the mini-sweep this afternoon. Kittredge will serve as the opener, against Padres righty and former mound prince of Chicago, Dylan Cease.

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