Brandon Glick

The Chicago Cubs have put the San Diego Padres on the brink of elimination, though their pitching plans for the remainder of the series don't scream confidence. View full video

The Padres are in town, and the Cubs are looking to get their first playoff win at Wrigley Field since 2017. The team has officially released its playoff roster, and there's not a ton of surprises, save for the presence of rookies Kevin Alcantara and Moises Ballesteros. Catchers (2): Carson Kelly, Reese McGuire First base (1): Michael Busch Second base (1): Nico Hoerner Shortstop (1): Dansby Swanson Third base (1): Matt Shaw Designated hitter (1): Moisés Ballesteros Outfielders (5): Kevin Alcántara, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Kyle Tucker Utility (2): Willi Castro, Justin Turner Starters (3): Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Jameson Taillon Relievers (9): Aaron Civale, Brad Keller, Andrew Kittredge, Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, Colin Rea, Taylor Rogers, Michael Soroka, Caleb Thielbar Ballesteros should get some playing time against right-handers, though don't expect Alcantara to do much other than potentially sub in as a defensive replacement late in games. What do you think of the Cubs' playoff roster? Are you surprised by any decisions made by Craig Counsell and the front office? View full rumor

Trying something new today. It's live now

Image courtesy of © Matt Marton-Imagn Images The Cubs host the Padres at Wrigley Field for game one of the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series; San Diego has tabbed Nick Pivetta as their game one starter, and the series will be played entirely at Wrigley Field. Cubs hitters vs Nick Pivetta Pivetta, a right-hander, showed reverse splits in 2025: he allowed a .239 wOBA to left-handed batters and a .272 wOBA to right-handed batters. Chicago’s September production offers a few specific matchups to watch. Michael Busch (LHB) posted a .244/.337/.634 (.971 OPS) in September (95 PA). Ian Happ (switch-hitter) produced a .287/.382/.511 (.893 OPS) in September (110 PA). Seiya Suzuki (RHB) logged a .232/.333/.478 (.811 OPS) in September (81 PA). 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 Kyle Tucker L 12 10 2 1 0 0 2 1 2 .200 .250 .300 .550 0 1 0 0 0 3 Ian Happ B 11 10 3 1 0 0 0 1 6 .300 .364 .400 .764 0 0 0 0 0 4 Justin Turner R 9 8 5 2 0 2 3 1 0 .625 .667 1.625 2.292 0 0 0 0 0 5 Reese McGuire L 7 6 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 .333 .429 .333 .762 0 0 0 0 0 6 Carson Kelly R 6 6 3 0 1 0 1 0 3 .500 .500 .833 1.333 0 0 0 0 0 7 Michael Busch L 5 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 .000 .200 .000 .200 0 0 0 0 0 8 Seiya Suzuki R 5 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .200 .200 .200 .400 0 0 0 0 1 9 Willi Castro B 4 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 10 Nico Hoerner R 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 11 Pete Crow-Armstrong L 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 .333 .500 .333 .833 0 0 0 0 0 12 Matt Shaw R 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .500 .500 .500 1.000 0 0 0 0 0 Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results. Generated 9/29/2025. Padres hitters vs Matthew Boyd Left-hander Matthew Boyd draws the Game 1 start for Chicago, nudging past Shota Imanaga to open the Cubs’ postseason. In 2025, Boyd held left-handed batters to a .258 wOBA and right-handed batters to a .297 wOBA. Manny Machado finished September with a .207/.250/.425 (.675 OPS), while Fernando Tatis Jr. finished the regular season with a .293/.352/.549 (.900 OPS) slash in September. 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 18 16 3 0 0 1 3 2 3 .188 .278 .375 .653 0 0 0 0 1 2 Manny Machado R 14 13 5 2 0 0 3 0 3 .385 .357 .538 .896 0 1 0 0 0 3 Luis Arráez L 9 7 3 1 0 0 0 1 1 .429 .556 .571 1.127 0 0 0 1 0 4 Freddy Fermin R 7 7 2 1 0 0 2 0 3 .286 .286 .429 .714 0 0 0 0 0 5 Elias Díaz R 6 5 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .400 .500 .400 .900 0 0 0 0 0 6 Fernando Tatis Jr. R 6 6 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .167 .167 .167 .333 0 0 0 0 0 7 Jackson Merrill L 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 8 Jose Iglesias R 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333 .333 .333 .667 0 0 0 0 0 9 Jake Cronenworth L 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0 Provided by Stathead.com: Found with Stathead. See Full Results. Generated 9/29/2025. Defensive context Outs on contact could swing this game. Chicago’s center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong ranks among MLB’s 2025 leaders with +21 Outs Above Average, providing elite gap coverage behind any starter the Cubs deploy. At shortstop, Dansby Swanson is again a positive in Statcast’s range metrics (+1 OAA at SS in 2025), a drop from previous seasons but still capable. For San Diego, Fernando Tatis Jr. brings plus defense in right field (+7 OAA), a notable factor against Wrigley’s alley-driven extra-base profile. Notes On Key Matchups Cubs LHB (Busch, etc.) vs Pivetta (R): Pivetta’s 2025 wOBA allowed to LHB was .239; Busch carried a .971 OPS in September. Cubs RHB (Suzuki, etc.) vs Pivetta: Pivetta allowed a .272 wOBA to RHB; Suzuki posted an .811 OPS in September. Padres RHB (Tatis, Machado) vs Boyd (L): Boyd allowed a .297 wOBA to RHB; Machado logged a .675 OPS in September; Tatis finished with a .353 season wOBA View full article

For the first time in five years, the playoffs tomorrow will include the Cubbies. How ya feeling? Who is starting Game 3 with no Horton (if it gets that far)? Are you attending one of the games?

Unlike the chaotic AL, everything in the NL is locked up besides the final Wild Card spot. Cubs are on rest duty today. If you can believe, the Mets' latest September collapse could catapult the Reds into the playoffs. A Cincy win or NY loss is all it will take. The Reds play the Brewers, who have already locked up the best record in the league and a bye... will be interesting to see if Milwaukee tries its hardest to play spoiler.

The Cubs and Padres are set to square off in a best-of-three Wild Card series matchup at Wrigley Field. Which team is favored, and how can the underdog pull off the upset? View full video

Would be nice to build up some momentum against the Cardinals this weekend before the playoffs...

Because the Padres are off today, the Cubs can't clinch the No. 1 Wild Card spot with a win (though a win would drop the magic number to one). The bright side? That means the Cubs can clinch that spot when they play the Cardinals this weekend.

For the first time all year, the Cubs have lost five in a row. They are now just 1.5 games up on the red-hot Padres for the 1st Wild Card.

My bad, all. This series starts tomorrow. 48 hour game thread, woo!

Mets fans are going to hate Cubs fans for eternity if they beat them after getting swept by the Reds over the weekend...

Kyle Tucker is removing himself from the team as he attempts to rehab from his lingering calf issue. Is there a legitimate reason to be concerned about his health just two weeks out from the playoffs? View full video

It probably doesn't "matter", but it'd be nice not to get swept by the Reds...

Even though the Cubs have lost two in a row, the Padres have done the same, meaning the magic number to clinch the top wild card spot is now down to four.

The Chicago Cubs finally secured their playoff spot by sweeping the Pirates, locking in their first October appearance since 2020. Can they ensure the Wild Card Round is hosted in Wrigley Field? View full video

Image courtesy of © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images Moises Ballesteros was always expected to hit. Young catchers rarely, if ever, show any level of advanced feel with the bat in their hands, but Ballesteros was an exception from the moment the Cubs signed him as a teenager. In 2022, his first full season of pro ball, an 18-year-old Ballesteros posted a .743 OPS after getting a late-season call-up to Single-A Myrtle Beach. In 2023, he climbed all the way to Double-A Tennessee, slashing .285/.374/.449 across three levels despite being years younger than the average age at each stop. He hit 19 homers in 2024, making it all the way to Triple-A Iowa as a 20-year-old backstop. There were question marks on defense, to be sure, but the bat was not to be doubted. We thus arrive to the current 2025 season, where Ballesteros only continues to improve. He's hammered Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .316/.385/.473 batting line over roughly 500 plate appearances, earning his call-up to the big leagues for his MLB debut. He's been up and down a bunch this season as the Cubs have shuffled their roster to make room for injured players and outside additions, but in his first taste of uninterrupted MLB action, Ballesteros is proving he belongs. Since getting the call back to the bigs on Sept. 12, Ballesteros has played in every game for the Cubs (save for Friday night's affair against the Reds) as the starting designated hitter, batting cleanup. In those 27 plate appearances, he's batting .333/.407/.667 to go with two home runs and a triple. In conjunction with his impressive 11.1% walk rate, Ballesteros' 189 wRC+ in that span is the best on the team. He's doing the things you'd expect a quality big league hitter to do during this hot streak; his hard-hit rate (38.9%) is up, he's deploying a solid all-fields approach, and luck has been on his side (.375 BABIP). Sure, his ground-ball rate is an alarming 61.1%, but when you've got the bat control and power of Ballesteros, it's easy to punch those ground balls through the infield. Of course, the big part of the conversation with "Mo Baller" is his defensive home. He hasn't been allowed to play anywhere in the field in the big leagues, and there have been endless questions about his ability to handle catching on a full-time basis. For what it's worth, he did catch in more than half of the games he appeared in with Iowa this season, but standing at a stout 5'8" and nearly 200 pounds, he's certainly not the best glove the Cubs can deploy behind the plate. If this sounds familiar, it's exactly the conundrum the Cubs had with Kyle Schwarber one decade ago. Another sturdily built left-handed slugger, Schwarber tried his hardest to make things work as a backstop, though his defensive shortcoming and huge offensive potential were too much to overlook. The team elected to stash him in left field -- even after his infamous torn ACL to open the 2016 season -- rarely letting him DH, if ever. Now, Schwarber is in his mid-30s as a full-time DH and hitting better than ever. There's a lesson to be learned from that saga. Ian Happ is currently patrolling left and Michael Busch is entrenched at first base; Ballesteros will never be better defenders than they are. His bat is already among the best on the team—why ask him to handle a physically demanding position he isn't good at (catcher) or one he barely knows (left field, first base) and risk letting his bat falter? It might seem counterintuitive to relegate a 21-year-old to the DH spot on a permanent basis, but the Astros have done it with Yordan Alvarez for years, and it's safe to say they don't have any regrets. When you have someone who makes hitting look as easy as Ballesteros does, there's no reason to be greedy. As long as he's not getting drilled by line drives off the bat of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ballesteros should be a fixture in the Cubs' lineup for the remainder of the season as the regular designated hitter. Bat-first rookies don't always live up to the hype right away, but most rookies aren't Ballesteros. View full article