Padres, Cubs, Phillies Bracing for Wild NL Playoff Race Finish

We have some chaos brewing in the National League Wild Card race, to say the least.

With just over one week to go in the 2026 Major League Baseball regular season, we have a three-way tie in the National League Wild Card race with the Chicago Cubs, Philadelphia Phillies and the San Diego Padres with all three holding 85-69 records with eight games each to play.

THREE-WAY TIE IN THE NL WILD CARD RACE 😱

The Cubs, Phillies and Padres are all at 85-69 with eight games to go 👀 pic.twitter.com/2HGNEXR8K3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 19, 2026

As things stand right now, the Cubs would land the No. 1 Wild Card spot and host the Phillies in a three-game Wild Card round series. The Padres would travel to Atlanta to take on the Braves in a three-game set. Then, if the Padres advanced, they would have to face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Division Series.

Chaos In The National League

Sep 18, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) celebrates after hitting a one run home run during the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the outside looking in and are five games back. The odds of them closing the gap are very small. So, expect to see the Cubs, Phillies and Padres all in the playoffs. But in what order? That's what this next week will determine.

The goal of all three of these teams will certainly be nabbing the top Wild Card spot, because then you guarantee home playoff games. The NLDS won't be easy for anyone. Whoever gets through will have to face the Milwaukee Brewers or the Dodgers. Not an easy task, to say the least. Still, landing the top spot would at least put one of these teams in a better position with home games in the three-game Wild Card round.

The Cubs and Phillies are both 4-6 over their last 10 games. The Padres, on the other hand, are potentially the hottest team in baseball in general. San Diego is 9-1 over its last 10 games and has won three games in a row.

With how the Padres have played recently, they arguably should be the favorite for the top Wild Card spot. Simply put, they're getting hot at the right time and have the firepower to keep it going. Fernando Tatis Jr. is a superstar. Jackson Merrill is red-hot at the plate right now. Ty France is quietly at 4.6 wins above replacement, which is the highest mark on a team full of stars. Plus, the Padres' rotation is loaded.

The Cubs and the Phillies have gotten most of the buzz in this race over the last few weeks, but don't forget about the Padres. They just made this thing interesting.

Add us as a preferred source on Google