Silenced bats and a defensive collapse leave Chicago on the brink of elimination. Now, the North Siders turn to a hobbled Kevin Gausman to salvage their season against a surging San Diego.
The Chicago Cubs were embarrassed by the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Round.
The Padres were all over the Cubs from the get-go. Michael King threw a quick 1-2-3 inning to start the game, then Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado went deep in the first inning. From then on, it was all San Diego.
The Cubs had no answer for the Padres in Game 1. Matthew Boyd allowed four runs across four innings, and Chicago’s offense couldn’t muster anything against King. The North Siders didn’t have their first hit until one out in the seventh inning.
It was an all-around disappointing performance for the Cubs to kick off the postseason. The Padres looked like the better team, brought more energy, and seemed to want it more. Tatis and Machado's two first-inning homers gave San Diego momentum early on.
Everything that went wrong for Chicago in Game 1 went wrong. Boyd didn’t have a great outing, the best offense in baseball couldn’t hit, and the bullpen wasn’t sharp. Losing 8-0 to begin the postseason is not ideal.
To make matters worse, the Cubs have few answers on what went wrong in Tuesday’s loss to the Padres.
“King pitched very well for sure,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters after Game 1. “We didn’t have a lot of good contact. Nico [Hoerner] hit a ball hard. Ian [Happ] hit a ball hard. Other than that, we didn’t square many balls up, and that’s a sign of a pitcher making a lot of good pitches and controlling counts.”
Added Alex Bregman: “We didn’t do really anything right today. The good news is that we get to show up [on Wednesday] and play a baseball game. We just got to execute better in all phases of the game.”
This Game 1 loss puts the Cubs in a do-or-die spot. They will now look ahead to Game 2 to stave off elimination with their backs against the wall. A loss to the Padres on Wednesday night, and Chicago’s season is over.
The Cubs will be rolling with Kevin Gausman in Game 2. The veteran right-hander has dealt with some shoulder soreness in recent days, but he is good enough to go in the biggest game of the season for the North Siders.
The front office acquired Gausman at the trade deadline for moments like Wednesday. He has to step up or the Cubs’ season will come to an end.
The Cubs could get creative in their pitching plans in Game 2 to stay alive. Every pitcher (except Boyd) will likely be available if needed. Gausman will start, and Counsell could call upon someone like Clay Holmes to help get outs to force a Game 3.
It will be Gausman against Nick Pivetta on Wednesday night, with the season on the line.
