By Dennis Lin, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma
CHICAGO — Behind a two-run homer by third baseman Manny Machado and a high-octane performance from his pitching staff, the San Diego Padres muscled their way to a 3-0 shutout of the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday at Wrigley Field. The blanking leveled this National League Wild Card Series at one game apiece, setting up a winner-take-all showdown on Thursday while suggesting that the Padres hold at least a slight edge in star power. After the game, Padres pitching coach Ruben Niebla said it would be all hands on deck for Game 3, and the team could call on relievers Mason Miller and Adrian Morejon, who had dominant showings in Games 1 and 2, again — although one wonders how much they could be used after Wednesday’s innings.
Padres stars arrive in October in style
The Padres entered Tuesday having scored one run over their past 33 postseason innings. The harsh spotlight for their October failures shone on such players as Machado, a franchise cornerstone, and Dylan Cease, who threw a no-hitter last summer but twice crumbled against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2024 National League Division Series.
Then, Cease did his job in an elimination game, supplying 3 2/3 scoreless innings and striking out five batters. Soon after Cease’s exit, Machado eased the pressure on a power-deprived offense by swatting a Shota Imanaga splitter into the left-field bleachers in the fifth inning.
MANNY MACHADO BIG FLY! #POSTSEASON pic.twitter.com/Kk6OPbQrhO
— MLB (@MLB) October 1, 2025
A loaded Padres bullpen was just as impressive. Morejon, who relieved Cease, recorded a season-high 2 1/3 innings. Miller, who also pitched for a second consecutive day, followed Morejon on the mound, registered the hardest pitch of his career (104.5 mph) and the fastest pitch in the postseason since the pitch-tracking era started (2008), and continued an unprecedented postseason debut: According to Elias Sports Bureau, the hulking right-hander is the first-ever pitcher to strike out the first eight batters he faced in his postseason career.
Both Miller and Morejon might be a bit weary on Thursday, with 39-year-old Yu Darvish scheduled to start and Michael King available out of the bullpen. With their season on the line, the Padres were more than willing to pay that price.
Craig Counsell’s pitching plan didn’t work as hoped
The reason the Cubs manager wanted an opener was to get a right-hander to face the top of the Padres lineup – primarily Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado. Andrew Kittredge, though, gave up back-to-back singles to start the game. Only one run scored, but the Cubs’ offense was quiet for most of the day.
But the second-guessing of Counsell doesn’t stop there. As expected, Shota Imanaga came out in the second. For a few innings, it seemed as though he was handling his role as the bulk guy quite well. But with one out in the fifth, he walked Tatis. Padres manager Mike Shildt seemed to give Counsell an easy decision when he had Luis Arraez bunt Tatis over: intentionally walk Machado to get to the lefty Jackson Merrill or bring in righty Mike Soroka, who was getting warm in the bullpen.
Counsell chose neither. Machado sent the first pitch he saw 404 feet and the Padres’ dominant bullpen had a three-run lead to work with.
The Cubs are going nowhere without their stars
A Manny Being Manny moment saved San Diego’s season, at least for another day. While Machado admired the flight of the ball he nearly launched onto Waveland Avenue, the Cubs are still waiting for that kind of postseason highlight from Pete Crow-Armstrong or Kyle Tucker, who carried the team in the first half but could not sustain their MVP-level performances after the All-Star break.
Machado’s swing might not have felt so deflating if Crow-Armstrong had come through in a clutch situation the previous inning. With two outs, a runner on second base and Carson Kelly due up, Shildt signaled for an intentional walk and brought in left-handed reliever Morejon to face Crow-Armstrong.
The anticipation built as the crowd chanted “P-C-A! P-C-A!” After an indecisive swing and a foul ball put him in an 0-2 count, Crow-Armstrong hit a groundball toward first base, slamming his helmet and screaming in frustration as he reached first base too late.
The Cubs would not have made it to October without Crow-Armstrong’s dazzling season (31 homers, 35 stolen bases, 37 doubles and Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field). In an elimination game, their hope has to be that his competitive nature and raw talents take over.
Tucker, meanwhile, has largely been a non-factor as the club’s designated hitter after missing nearly all of September with a strained left calf. With free agency looming after an up-and-down year, he might have only one game remaining in a Cubs uniform.
(Photo of Manny Machado: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
