Who Brewers Should Be Hoping To Face As Cubs-Padres Wild Card Series Begins

As the four playoff series in Major League Baseball get set to start on Tuesday, the Milwaukee Brewers have to simply sit back and wait.

On Saturday, the Brewers will host Game 1 of the National League Division Series. In the hotly-debated playoff format, they'll be coming off five days of rest and facing either a Chicago Cubs or San Diego Padres team fresh off a win.

The Brewers should fear no one, as the team with the best record in baseball this season. But there's one team that's legitimately a better matchup, at least on paper.

Brewers should be hoping to see Padres emerge

Jake Bauers, Jake Cronenworth — Sep 24, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Jake Bauers (9) is tagged out by San Diego Padres second baseman Jake Cronenworth (9) as he tries to steal second base during the sixth inning at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Yes, there's the riveting storyline of Craig Counsell potentially returning to face his old team in the playoffs. And the Cubs are down rookie starting pitcher Cade Horton, who has a rib fracture and was the team's most consistent starter by far in the second half.

But in the playoffs, home runs are king. And the Cubs, for all their flaws, can hit them in bunches. After ranking third in dingers in the first half of the season, when they were hot, Chicago landed sixth on the season-long leaderboard.

The Padres, somehow, were 28th. Yes, only the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates hit fewer long balls than this vaunted lineup.

Plus, it's not as if San Diego's rotation is fearsome. They're rolling out Nick Pivetta for Game 1, who admittedly had a great season, but Dylan Cease is wildly inconsistent, and it's hard to know what to expect from Yu Darvish or Michael King after injury-plagued seasons.

Everything the Padres are good at, meanwhile, the Cubs are too. San Diego has its vaunted super bullpen, but Chicago's relievers had an above-average ERA at 3.78, and that group really turned it on after a rough start and a struggle to find a closer.

The last, and perhaps best argument we'll make is about atmosphere. A Cubs-Brewers series would be higher intensity than anything these teams have seen, but Chicago knows this Milwaukee crowd better than anyone. The Padres, who visited American Family Field in June this year, might walk into the Thunderdome unprepared for the playoff intensity.

More MLB: Brewers Fan-Favorite Broadcaster Named One Of 10 Hall Of Fame Finalists