Cubs beat Padres 3–1 at Wrigley to clinch Wild Card Series

In beforehand of 40,895 astatine Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs leaned connected cleanable defense, timely hitting, and six scoreless innings from the bullpen to adjacent retired a 3–1 Game 3 and instrumentality their NL Wild Card Series implicit the San Diego Padres. Michael Busch opened the scoring with a solo homer, and Pete Crow-Armstrong added a run-scoring azygous disconnected a shaky Yu Darvish arsenic Chicago reached the postseason’s adjacent circular for the archetypal clip since 2017.

“This group’s battle-tested,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “This radical tin grind it out… This is specified an astonishing happening to beryllium a portion of.”

Jameson Taillon acceptable the code with 4 shutout frames and 4 strikeouts earlier manager Craig Counsell parceled the last 15 outs crossed 5 relievers. Daniel Palencia escaped a fifth-inning jam for his 2nd triumph of the series; Andrew Kittredge secured the prevention aft Brad Keller faltered successful the ninth.

Padres’ stars muted arsenic Chicago seals it

San Diego’s marquee bats could not ace Chicago’s plan. Fernando Tatis Jr. went 0-for-4 with 3 strikeouts, including a flyout that stranded 2 successful the fifth. Manny Machado, who homered successful Game 2, bounced to abbreviated to extremity the eighth. “There’s a batch of wounded guys successful that clubhouse… Just disappointed,” manager Mike Shildt said.

Darvish exited aft the archetypal 4 Cubs reached successful the second, capped by the archetypal of Crow-Armstrong’s 3 hits. Reliever Jeremiah Estrada issued a bases-loaded locomotion to Swanson for a 2–0 pb earlier limiting further damage. Crow-Armstrong, 0-for-6 with 5 strikeouts successful the archetypal 2 games, besides stole a deed from Machado with a sliding drawback successful the first.

Chicago’s gloves backed the ‘pen again successful the precocious innings, with Swanson turning an inning-ending treble play aft a locomotion to Machado. “It’s conscionable the adjacent measurement for us,” Busch said. “You acceptable retired a extremity to bash worldly specified arsenic this… there’s a batch of enactment ahead.”

All eyes connected Milwaukee

Next up is simply a part clash with the NL Central champion Brewers, starting Saturday successful Milwaukee. Counsell, booed determination since leaving successful November 2023, welcomed the stage. “It’s Cubs–Brewers. That’s going to beryllium arsenic bully arsenic it gets.”