{"id":412412,"date":"2026-09-28T01:28:13","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T01:28:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/412412\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T01:28:13","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T01:28:13","slug":"column-chicago-cubs-in-another-san-diego-wild-card-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/412412\/","title":{"rendered":"Column: Chicago Cubs in another San Diego wild-card showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 The Chicago Cubs begin their playoff journey Tuesday<\/a> against the same wild-card foe as last year, hoping for the same outcome.<\/p>\n

Many of the same core players are back on both the Cubs and San Diego Padres, though the Cubs added Alex Bregman<\/a>, who could be the X factor in the series.<\/p>\n

What makes this Cubs team believe it can repeat last year\u2019s success<\/a>?<\/p>\n

\u201cTogetherness, attention to detail and guys that know what they do well and know what they need to do to prepare,\u201d Bregman said after homering twice in Sunday\u2019s 6-2 win over the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field. \u201cWhen it comes to the playoffs, it comes down to executing. If you do that, you\u2019re in a good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The biggest difference this year might be the site \u2014 San Diego\u2019s Petco Park instead of Wrigley Field, where the Cubs won the series in three games in \u201925 in a wild atmosphere. Playing the Padres last October could be beneficial.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there is some degree to that,\u201d starter Matthew Boyd said. \u201cBut the reality of the matter is every team this time of the year is a good team, and we\u2019ve been in this situation. We\u2019re ready for it, and excited for that challenge.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first two games will start at 9 p.m. Chicago time, and air on Peacock. So get a nap in, and don\u2019t forget to sign up for that free 7-day trial subscription if you don\u2019t have the app.<\/p>\n

History lesson<\/p>\n

San Diego\u2019s fan base was considered laid back when the Cubs and Padres met in the postseason in 1984. Or at least until they were riled by syndicated Tribune columnist Mike Royko, who called them \u201csushi eaters\u201d and insulted their knowledge of baseball. The Padres rode the wave of their crazed fans to a 3-2 win in the National League Championship Series, grabbing all three games at home after trailing 0-2.<\/p>\n

That laid-back reputation is ancient history. Padres fans are now among the game\u2019s most boisterous, and their 51-30 home record is no coincidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have a great atmosphere,\u201d second baseman Nico Hoerner said. \u201cIt\u2019s probably one of the places that\u2019s changed the most over the last 10 years or so. They have a great fan base. It\u2019ll be electric, a lot of fun and challenging.\u201d<\/p>\n

One for the road
\n\"CrewsCrews prepare the field for a baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and the Boston Red Sox at Tropicana Field, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris Urso)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Cubs finished out the regular season beating the Red Sox in the game relocated by a nor\u2019easter in New England<\/a>, ending with an 89-73 record, 14 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central.<\/p>\n

A raucous crowd of 20,411 showed up, the majority of whom were Cubs fans. The Tampa Bay Rays averaged 17,469 at the Trop, third-worst attendance in the majors, so maybe there are more Chicagoans than Rays fans in the area.<\/p>\n

Time ran out on Justin Steele\u2019s comeback attempt in 2026. The Cubs called up Braxton Garrett instead of Steele, optioning Gavin Hollowell. Garrett allowed one run over five innings on Sunday to notch the win, his first as a Cub.<\/p>\n

All in all, a short, strange trip.<\/p>\n

\u201cStrange, having a Saturday off day is a weird thing in baseball,\u201d Hoerner said. \u201cJust able to get the guys together and hang out and have a good time. Just laid around, slept in and then had dinner as a group, which is always nice to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fractured fairy tale<\/p>\n

Bregman texted manager Craig Counsell on Sunday morning with the phrase \u201cLFG.\u201d Counsell wasn\u2019t sure what it meant at first.<\/p>\n

Any concerns over whether the multiple facial fractures in Bregman\u2019s left cheek<\/a> would affect his hitting were alleviated Sunday when he homered in his first two at-bats, giving him 28. Bregman went 4-for-4 with 4 RBI, finishing his first season in Chicago hitting .265 with 93 RBI and an .819 OPS.<\/p>\n

Bregman said in the first half that his numbers would be there, and he backed that up. Was he satisfied with his stats?<\/p>\n

\u201cDefinitely not satisfied,\u201d he said. \u201cBecause I felt like the first four months of the season, I don\u2019t know what that was. I was embarrassed to put that on tape. But the last two months of the season I felt like that\u2019s who I am as a player. I\u2019m proud to know that no matter how big of a hole I dug myself, I can find my way back out of it and get over .800 (OPS). I learned a lot this year and feel like I got better.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bregman took grounders at third base on the off-day Saturday, but the Cubs appear likely to keep him exclusively at DH in the wild-card series. He said he\u2019s ready to do what he\u2019s asked. The hitting is what matters most. \u201cIs that exposure (at third) worth it?\u201d Counsell asked rhetorically. \u201cDoes it make it that much better, at the risk of (losing) at-bats? That\u2019s what we have to consider, and then the player\u2019s health and well-being, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

PCA watch
\n\"ChicagoChicago Cubs designated hitter Alex Bregman and Pete Crow-Armstrong stand in the on-deck circle before a game against the Boston Red Sox, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo\/Chris Urso)<\/p>\n

Pete Crow-Armstrong singled in his first at-bat and was removed for pinch-runner Tyrone Taylor, ending his consensus MVP season<\/a> hitting .280 with 45 home runs, 107 RBI and 41 stolen bases. Former Cub Alfonso Soriano drove an hour from his Florida home for a quick visit with Crow-Armstrong, saying he just wanted to \u201cwelcome him into the (40-40) club,\u201d which Soriano joined in 2006 with the Washington Nationals. Soriano and Crow-Armstrong are among the seven members of the elite fraternity.<\/p>\n

Crow-Armstrong played in all 162 games and led the majors in bWAR (9.8), total bases (357), runs (119), fielding run value (27) and outs above average (26), and was tied with Philadelphia\u2019s Kyle Schwarber for the home run crown. He also led the National League in slugging (.570) and OPS (.942). It was easily the greatest season of any Cubs player when factoring in both offensive and defensive dominance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t seen somebody\u2019s name chanted like that since he\u2019s been in the league, and it started last year,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cIt\u2019s really something to perform with all that on you on a regular basis. I\u2019m kind of a fan. You\u2019re part of enjoying it, and it\u2019s the things you remember about the job, moments like that and moments he\u2019s provided all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gausman healing<\/p>\n

Kevin Gausman<\/a> threw a bullpen Sunday after hurting his left shoulder on a tag play last week, and said it felt \u201cnormalish.\u201d The right-hander could be in line to start one of the first two games against the Padres, whose best hitters are right-handed. Counsell won\u2019t announce his Game 1 plans until Monday, or perhaps even Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Gausman wants to go, but doesn\u2019t want to hurt the team, making it a tough decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why today was a big step in the right direction. Yeah, I\u2019m going to go out and give everything I\u2019ve got. But if I feel like I can\u2019t give this team a chance to win or pitch the way I know I can, then I need to be smart and think about these guys and not myself. Honestly, it\u2019s pretty easy this time of year because everybody is chasing the same goal \u2014 to get to the World Series in any way, shape or form.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shota mystery<\/p>\n

Shota Imanaga made a one-inning start Sunday against the Red Sox, striking out three and allowing a solo home run. Counsell wouldn\u2019t disclose Imanaga\u2019s status for the playoffs, though if he does make the wild-card roster, it could be as a situational lefty. Most of the Padres\u2019 power is from the right side, which doesn\u2019t bode well for Imanaga, who had a decent season but allowed 35 home runs, tied for second-most in the majors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 The Chicago Cubs begin their playoff journey Tuesday against the same wild-card foe as last…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":412413,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[100860,24229,101087,163439,96748,100861,163001,161020,163438,100185,100272,53537,202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-412412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-alex-bregman","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-cubs-padres-wild-card","tag-kevin-gausman","tag-matthew-boyd","tag-mlb-playoffs","tag-mlb-postseason","tag-mlb-wild-card","tag-nico-hoerner","tag-pete-crow-armstrong","tag-san-diego-padres","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412412","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=412412"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/412412\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/412413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=412412"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=412412"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=412412"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}