Brandon Glick

I don't have much to say that hasn't been said. That was just a lifeless showing over two days by the Cubs. Thank you all for another great season that deserved a better ending. We hope you enjoyed our coverage at NSBB throughout the year -- it's our favorite thing to interact with the readership and fellow fans. There were plenty of memorable moments, and we're just about a month away from Pete Crow-Armstrong's MVP coronation. So, hey, at least's something to look forward to. We'll have more to share about our offseason and, eventually, lockout plans in the future. For now, we'll use this space as our mega-thread so people can chat about this team in whatever manner they want before we officially get to the end of the playoffs. See you all for some more Cubs baseball in 2027 (hopefully)...

Come join our game thread for this one!

FRI SAT SUN MON TUE TOT Ryan Zeferjahn 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Rolison 13 0 0 0 16 29 Javier Assad 35 0 0 0 18 53 Jacob Webb 0 0 10 0 16 26 Daniel Palencia 0 0 0 0 0 0 Colin Rea 0 0 20 0 0 20 Aaron Civale 38 0 0 0 24 62

Well that was no bueno. Gonna need a better effort than that if the Cubs want to officially get to October tomorrow. Gausman has a good postseason history but struggles against the Padres' big boppers. Pivetta hasn't pitched much this year but has been good when healthy. We absolutely have to get to him early to have any chance; the Padres' key relievers are all fresh and rested and will be able to take over the game at a moment's notice. Will share a By The Numbers post early this afternoon as well. Go Cubs.

Image courtesy of Matt Marton-Imagn Images Well that was disheartening. The Chicago Cubs were flattened and curb-stomped by the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild Card Series, hardly putting up a fight against a red-hot home team backed by a raucous crowd. Michael King neutered the league's best offense in a dominant showing on the mound, while Matthew Boyd was bombarded by Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado right from the jump. So, with that out of the way, let's move on to better times in Game 2, huh? Nick Pivetta isn't the same terrifying matchup he was in last year's Wild Card Round, having missed a huge chunk of the season due to a flexor strain in his throwing elbow. He came back in time to make some tune-up starts in September, recording a 1.45 ERA over 18⅔ innings. Clearly, he looks ready to go, but his ERA estimators (3.05 FIP, 4.78 xFIP) suggest that the Cubs can get to him with better luck than they had last night. Even more important is the fact that the Cubs actually have some familiarity with their opponent tonight. After King, whom most of the starting lineup had rarely (if ever) faced before, plenty of hitters have some history against Pivetta. That includes Dansby Swanson (.814 OPS in 35 plate appearances), Michael Conforto (two homers in 13 at-bats), and Alex Bregman (.571 slugging in eight PAs). Nick Pivetta vs. Chicago Cubs: Current Batters Table Rk Player B PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GIDP 1 Dansby Swanson R 35 34 10 1 0 2 5 1 11 .294 .314 .500 .814 0 0 0 0 0 2 Michael Conforto L 15 13 2 0 0 2 2 2 3 .154 .267 .615 .882 0 0 0 0 1 3 Ian Happ B 11 10 3 1 0 0 0 1 6 .300 .364 .400 .764 0 0 0 0 0 4 Alex Bregman R 8 7 2 0 1 0 1 1 3 .286 .375 .571 .946 0 0 0 0 0 5 Carson Kelly R 6 6 3 0 1 0 1 0 3 .500 .500 .833 1.333 0 0 0 0 0 6 Michael Busch L 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .200 .000 .200 0 0 0 0 0 7 Seiya Suzuki R 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 .200 .200 .400 0 0 0 0 1 8 Pete Crow-Armstrong L 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .333 .500 .333 .833 0 0 0 0 0 9 Nico Hoerner R 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 10 Matt Shaw R 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 11 Tyrone Taylor R 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000 .500 .000 .500 0 0 0 0 0 Provided by Stathead: Found with Stathead. See Full Results. However, their knowledge of Pivetta is utterly dwarfed by the encyclopedia the Padres probably have on Gausman. Xander Bogaerts, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. have combined for well over 100 plate appearances against the Cubs' starter, with the latter two hitters working with an OPS over 1.000 in this matchup. Kevin Gausman vs. San Diego Padres: Current Batters Table Rk Player B PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GIDP 1 Xander Bogaerts R 63 60 17 2 0 1 5 2 14 .283 .317 .367 .684 0 0 0 1 1 2 Manny Machado R 25 25 9 1 0 2 3 0 3 .360 .360 .640 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 3 Fernando Tatis Jr. R 24 23 8 1 0 2 3 1 5 .348 .375 .652 1.027 0 0 0 0 0 4 Ty France R 21 18 6 1 0 0 1 2 5 .333 .429 .389 .817 0 0 0 1 0 5 Jake Cronenworth L 19 19 2 0 0 0 1 0 6 .105 .105 .105 .211 0 0 0 0 1 6 Austin Hays R 16 14 7 1 0 2 4 2 5 .500 .563 1.000 1.563 0 0 0 0 0 7 Gavin Sheets L 11 9 1 1 0 0 0 2 3 .111 .273 .222 .495 0 0 0 0 0 8 Jackson Merrill L 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 9 Walker Buehler R 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 1 0 0 0 0 10 Luis Campusano R 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 11 Sung-Mun Song L 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 .000 .500 .000 .500 0 0 0 0 0 Provided by Stathead: Found with Stathead. See Full Results. In other words, it's advantage Padres for the second straight game. If the Cubs can win this one and push it to three, they'll get a far more favorable matchup against Robbie Ray or Walker Buehler, but getting there could prove to be a Herculean task. View full article

Come join our Game Thread for Game 1!

As promised, a By The Numbers post.

Image courtesy of David Banks-Imagn Images After a long 162-game grind, we're pretty much right back where we were one year ago. For the second consecutive season, the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres have ended up with the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds in the National League, setting them up for a best-of-three clash in the Wild Card Round. And, just like last year, the winner will get the right to travel to Milwaukee to face the top-seeded Brewers. The major difference this time around is that the Cubs will be the visiting team, with the Padres playing host. That doesn't mean too much for the North Siders (they went 43-38 away from the Friendly Confines this year), but it is a huge boon for the Friars, who went 51-30 at home compared to 40-41 on the road. In Game 1, the Padres will send their ace, Michael King, to the mound. He's been a rock-solid No. 1 starter this year, recording a 3.21 ERA over 185 innings in the regular season. His ERA estimators are less favorable (4.40 xERA, 4.13 FIP) but still indicative of a pitcher who can shut down an opposing lineup when he's on. He's a pretty unfamiliar opponent for the Cubs, who haven't seen him in the regular season since 2023 (when he was still with the Yankees). He tossed just one innings in last year's series, striking out the side in the middle of Game 3. Alex Bregman has routinely crushed King and will be a key part of the lineup on Tuesday night; in contrast, Michael Conforto has historically struggled in this matchup. Michael King vs. Chicago Cubs: Current Batters Table Rk Player B PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GIDP 1 Michael Conforto L 14 11 1 0 0 1 1 3 2 .091 .286 .364 .649 0 0 0 0 0 2 Alex Bregman R 10 8 7 2 0 0 0 2 1 .875 .900 1.125 2.025 0 0 0 0 0 3 Gabriel Arias R 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .333 .333 .333 .667 0 0 0 0 0 4 Ian Happ B 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 5 Tyrone Taylor R 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 6 Nico Hoerner R 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 7 Carson Kelly R 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.000 1.000 1.000 2.000 0 0 0 0 0 8 Seiya Suzuki R 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 Provided by Stathead: Found with Stathead. See Full Results. Opposite the right-hander will be Matthew Boyd, who is starting Game 1 of the Wild Card Round for the second consecutive year. He threw a tidy gem in that outing allowing just one run over 4 1/3 innings, though the Cubs' ace will have to overcome poor matchups with Manny Machado, Ty France, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Austin Hays in order to give his team a chance tonight. Matthew Boyd vs. San Diego Padres: Current Batters Table Rk Player B PA AB H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS SH SF IBB HBP GIDP 1 Xander Bogaerts R 22 20 4 0 0 1 3 2 3 .200 .273 .350 .623 0 0 0 0 1 2 Manny Machado R 20 19 9 4 0 1 5 0 3 .474 .450 .842 1.292 0 1 0 0 0 3 Ty France R 13 10 4 1 0 0 3 1 1 .400 .538 .500 1.038 0 0 0 2 0 4 Fernando Tatis Jr. R 12 12 3 0 0 1 2 0 2 .250 .250 .500 .750 0 0 0 0 0 5 Freddy Fermin R 11 11 3 2 0 0 2 0 4 .273 .273 .455 .727 0 0 0 0 0 6 Jackson Merrill L 9 9 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 .222 .222 .222 .444 0 0 0 0 0 7 Austin Hays R 6 6 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 .500 .500 .833 1.333 0 0 0 0 0 8 Samad Taylor R 5 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 .400 .400 .400 .800 0 0 0 0 0 9 Jase Bowen R 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 10 Jake Cronenworth L 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 Provided by Stathead: Found with Stathead. See Full Results. You can find a more comprehensive breakdown of this series as a whole -- and all the numbers behind the matchup -- over on our sister site, Padres Mission. Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Round between the Cubs and Padres will begin tonight, September 29, at 9:00pm Central Standard Time. View full article

THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Ryan Zeferjahn 9 0 0 0 0 9 Ryan Rolison 0 13 0 0 0 13 Javier Assad 0 35 0 0 0 35 Jacob Webb 0 0 0 10 0 10 Daniel Palencia 15 0 0 0 0 15 Colin Rea 0 0 0 20 0 20 Caleb Thielbar 0 13 0 0 0 13 Braxton Garrett 0 0 0 70 0 70 Aaron Civale 0 38 0 0 0 38

Besides the horrendous start time, this is what baseball's all about. The Padres are white hot right now, so it won't be easy to go into Petco and win this series. Alas, you have to beat the best to be the best. I'll share a "by the numbers" article well before the game start time for every bit of information you might be interested in. I'll pin it in the comments of this thread.

SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Ryan Zeferjahn 0 0 13 0 9 22 Ryan Rolison 0 0 25 19 0 44 Javier Assad 0 0 0 2 0 2 Jacob Webb 0 0 0 31 0 31 Edward Cabrera 9 0 24 0 0 33 Daniel Palencia 0 0 11 0 15 26 Colin Rea 8 0 0 13 0 21 Caleb Thielbar 18 0 14 0 0 32 Aaron Civale 0 0 30 0 0 30

Crappy weather, two Wild Card teams squaring off, a Friday doubleheader... what more could you ask for just before October?

MON TUE WED THU FRI TOT Ryan Zeferjahn 24 0 20 0 0 44 Ryan Rolison 13 0 24 0 0 37 Javier Assad 30 0 0 0 34 64 Jacob Webb 0 18 0 0 12 30 Edward Cabrera 0 40 0 0 0 40 Daniel Palencia 0 2 0 0 0 2 Colin Rea 0 0 0 0 0 0 Caleb Thielbar 0 0 0 0 0 0 Aaron Civale 0 0 21 0 0 21

Welp... it's a three-way tie for the Wild Card. Cubs have the tiebreaker, but we HAVE to win these games against the Marlins and Reds before traveling to Boston.

SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Ryan Zeferjahn 0 24 0 20 0 44 Ryan Rolison 0 13 0 24 0 37 Javier Assad 0 30 0 0 0 30 Jacob Webb 0 0 18 0 0 18 Edward Cabrera 0 0 40 0 0 40 Daniel Palencia 18 0 2 0 0 20 Colin Rea 0 0 0 0 0 0 Caleb Thielbar 14 0 0 0 0 14 Aaron Civale 45 0 0 21 0 66

Standings Watch: The Cubs (and Phillies) hold a one-game lead over the Padres for the top NL Wild Card spot.

SUN MON WED THU FRI TOT Trent Thornton 0 0 13 0 7 20 Ryan Zeferjahn 0 14 0 0 0 14 Ryan Rolison 0 0 0 0 0 0 Javier Assad 0 0 0 0 12 12 Jacob Webb 0 18 0 0 0 18 Daniel Palencia 16 0 19 0 15 50 Colin Rea 61 0 15 0 0 76 Caleb Thielbar 0 0 8 0 0 8 Aaron Civale 0 0 0 0 0 0

Goodness that was a cathartic win yesterday. Let's do it again, shall we?

SAT SUN MON WED THU TOT Trent Thornton 13 0 0 13 0 26 Ryan Zeferjahn 19 0 14 0 0 33 Ryan Rolison 8 0 0 0 0 8 Jacob Webb 0 0 18 0 0 18 Daniel Palencia 0 16 0 19 0 35 Colin Rea 0 61 0 15 0 76 Caleb Thielbar 27 0 0 8 0 35 Aaron Civale 0 0 0 0 0 0

Standings Watch: The Cubs are one game behind the Phillies for the top NL Wild Card spot.

SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Tyler Ferguson 0 0 37 0 0 37 Trent Thornton 13 0 0 23 0 36 Ryan Zeferjahn 0 0 17 0 10 27 Ryan Rolison 0 12 0 19 10 41 Jacob Webb 18 0 0 7 0 25 Daniel Palencia 0 0 12 13 0 25 Colin Rea 0 29 0 8 0 37 Caleb Thielbar 12 0 19 11 0 42 Aaron Civale 15 0 0 0 0 15

Standings Watch: The Cubs sit 0.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the top NL Wild Card spot.