San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs
Game 1: 5:05 p.m. Monday (Padres.TV)
Game 2: 5:05 p.m. Tuesday (Padres.TV)
Game 3: 11:20 a.m. Wednesday (Padres.TV)
In the standings
San Diego Padres (43-39, 2nd in NL West)
They went 4-2 on a homestand against the Braves and Dodgers, but they still lost two of three to Los Angeles and are 10 games out of first in the division. The Padres are also a half-game out of the NL’s last wild-card spot. San Diego lost two of three against the Cubs in April at Petco Park and was bounced out of last year’s NL Wild Series by the Cubs.
Chicago Cubs (46-38, 2nd in NL Central)
The Cubs have won two in a row and eight of 10 to pull to within 5½ games of the Brewers in the division. They are also in possession of the NL’s second wild-card spot, up 1½ games on the Cardinals. Chicago is tied for seventh in OPS (.736), 24th in rotation ERA (4.54) and 12th in bullpen ERA (3.84).
Trending
San Diego: OF Fernando Tatis Jr. has a 21-game on-base streak and a team-best .831 OPS in June. 3B Manny Machado is trending up with five homers and a .762 OPS this month, while SS Xander Bogaerts has a .544 OPS in June. LHP Wandy Peralta has not allowed a run in his 13 appearances (16⅓ IP) this month. RHP Ron Marinaccio has a 6.75 ERA over his seven appearances this month.
Chicago: OF Pete Crow-Armstrong has hit 10 of his team-best 17 homers in June (1.212 OPS). OF Seiya Suzuki also has five homers this month (.937 OPS), while both 3B Alex Bregman (.577 OPS) and 2B Nico Hoerner (.574 OPS) are struggling this month. LHP Hoby Milner (6.10 ERA) and RHP Jacob Webb (5.40 ERA) both lead the Cubs with 12 appearances this month.
Chicago Cubs’ Shota Imanaga pitches during the second inning in the second baseball game of a doubleheader against the New York Mets Wednesday, June 24, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Pitching matchups
Monday
Padres RHP Griffin Canning (1-5, 7.38 ERA) | He will start after following an opener in his last two appearances. He allowed a run in 4⅓ innings in bulk relief in a win at St. Louis on June 17 and then gave up four runs in two-thirds of an inning on Tuesday against the Braves. Opponents .846 OPS off Canning would be the worst of his career if the season ended today. Canning has faced the Cubs twice in his career (4.35 ERA, 10 ⅓ IP), last in 2025 (6 IP, 1 ER).
Cubs LHP Shota Imanaga (5-6, 4.40 ERA) | The 32-year-old has a 3.99 ERA over his last 236 ⅔ innings in the majors after posting a 2.91 ERA as an All-Star as a rookie in 2024. Only six of his 16 starts have been quality starts. Imanaga has a 1.40 ERA in three starts in his career against the Padres, including two last year (1-0, 0.73 ERA, 12 ⅓ IP). He has struck out 19 against four walks over 19 ⅓ innings.
Tuesday
Padres LHP JP Sears (1-0, 3.18 ERA) | He had thrown five shutout innings in his 2026 debut on Wednesday before giving up a two-run homer in the sixth and exiting with two outs. He struck out five, walked two, allowed five hit and threw 53 of his 81 pitches for strikes. Sears had a 7.92 ERA in 14 starts to begin the year at Triple-A El Paso. Tuesday will mark his first appearance against the Cubs.
Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (2-1, 5.02 ERA) | He missed roughly six weeks with a torn meniscus before returning Thursday with 4⅔ shutout innings at the Mets. He struck out four, walked four and allowed four hits. Boyd allowed five runs in four innings to the Padres at Petco Park in late April. Boyd threw 4⅓ innings of one-run ball to help the Cubs beat the Padres in Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series last year at Wrigley Field.
Wednesday
Padres RHP Walker Buehler (5-3, 3.81 ERA) | He’s allowed exactly one run in each of his last five starts (1.71 ERA), with the Padres going 4-1 in those games. Buehler has a 27-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over his last 26⅓ innings. He allowed two runs in 4 ⅔ innings in a no-decision against the Cubs in late April. Buehler has a 4.46 ERA in eight games (seven starts) in his career against the Cubs.
Cubs RHP Colin Rea (5-5, 4.80 ERA) | The former Padre has allowed one run in 10⅓ innings following a 10-start slump (6.48 ERA). He last faced the Padres as a reliever in Game 2 of last year’s NL Wild Card Series (1⅔ IP, 0 ER) and has a 4.91 ERA in his two career starts against the Padres, the last in 2024 (5⅓ IP, 5 ER).
Qualifying leaders
OPS: Padres—1B Gavin Sheets (.767), OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.713), 3B Manny Machado (.664); Cubs—OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (.869), OF Seiya Suzuki (.793), OF Ian Happ (.792).
HRs: Padres—Machado (15), Sheets (13), 1B Ty France (10); Cubs—Crow-Armstrong (17), Happ (17), Suzuki (12).
RBIs: Padres—Machado (44), Sheets (35), SS Xander Bogaerts (31), OF Jackson Merrill (31); Cubs—SS Dansby Swanson (46), Crow-Armstrong (45), 1B Michael Busch (45).
Steals: Padres—Tatis (19), Merrill (17), Bogaerts (10); Cubs—Crow-Armstrong (20), 2B Nico Hoerner (12), Swanson (10).
Saves: Padres—RHP Mason Miller (21-for-21, 0.79 ER Cubs A); Cubs—RHP Daniel Palencia (3-for-3, 2.70 ERA), LHP Caleb Thielbar (2-for-5, 4.30 ERA), RHP Jacob Webb (2-for-6, 3.47 ERA).
Holds: Padres—RHP Jason Adam (17), LHP Adrián Morejón (14), RHP Jeremiah Estrada (6); Cubs—LHP Hoby Milner (6, 3.53 ERA), Thielbar (6), Webb (5), RHP Phil Maton (5, 6.08 ERA).
Training room
Chicago: RHP Ben Brown is the latest starter to hit the injured list, as he’s dealing with a stress reaction in his neck and is without a timetable. The pitching staff is also without RHPs Jameson Taillon (hamstring), Edward Cabrera (hamstring), Daniel Palancia (flexor), Phil Maton (knee), Hunter Harvey (triceps), Porter Hodge (flexor), Shelby Miller (elbow) and Cade Horton (UCL) and LHPs Hoby Milner (appendicitis), LHP Justin Steele (flexor) and Riley Martin (elbow)
San Diego: 2B Jake Cronenworth (concussion) and RHPs Germán Márquez (forearm nerve) and Matt Waldron (brachialis) are all rehabbing with Triple-A El Paso. C Luis Campusano (toe, oblique) is facing live pitching in Arizona and RHP Jeremiah Estrada (knee) is also rehabbing in Arizona. RHPs Nick Pivetta (flexor) and Joe Musgrove (elbow) have moved their rehab work to the mound. OF Ramón Laureano (hip) is likely done for the year following surgery.