Chicago Cubs Notes: Starter Named, Biggest Game 2 Concern, Stars Need to Step Up

Let's hope the Chicago Cubs have a short memory.

If the franchise wants to keep its season alive, it will have to quickly move on from a Tuesday night beatdown. Their 8-0 loss to the San Diego Padres in the opening game of the NL Wild Card round made for arguably their worst performance of the season. Bouncing back is going to be a lot easier said than done, especially against this red-hot opponent.

With hours to go before the do-or-die game, let's go over a few important notes. We'll begin with the Game 2 starter and end with their biggest concern of the night.

Save Us, Kevin Gausman!

Sep 23, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When Old Reliable fails to come through, you might as well try out the shiny new toy.

Fine, a 35-year-old Gausman may not fit that description, but he still serves as one of the Cubs' newest faces. Tonight's game might as well represent the exact reason why the organization went out and got someone like Gausman. When your back is against the wall, you want to turn to someone who has been there before.

Gausman is only one year removed from a strong postseason run with the Toronto Blue Jays. Time and again, he was able to rise to the occasion and help vault his squad to the World Series. The Cubs are begging for that pitcher to show up tonight.

To be sure, Gausman's regular season performance has been up and down. While he's been far from a disappointment, the Cubs' rotation-wide issues of giving up the long ball have rubbed off on him. He has forked over EIGHT homers in his last five starts.

Nevertheless, he may be settling into a groove at the perfect time. Gausman has given up only 2 earned runs in each of his last two starts. He also struck out a combined 13 batters in those 11.1 innings of work. His strikeout rate has trended up since coming to Chicago, while his walk rate sits at a very solid 6.3 percent.

The biggest question for the Cubs is how Gausman will be feeling when he steps on the bump. He is only days removed from hurting his left shoulder. Gausman made a fantastic play at third base against the Marlins, where he dove to catch a runner sliding into first. Clearly, the issue wasn't bad enough to force him on the IL. But the Cubs also can't afford for him to be anything less than 100 percent. Not at a time like this.

If Gausman looks off, Craig Counsell must have a shorter leash.

Stars Need to Be Stars

Sep 24, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) acknowledges the crowd after stealing second base during the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field. It was his 40th stolen base. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Look, it feels silly to throw any level of shade at Pete Crow-Armstrong. He is coming off the best regular season in franchise history – let alone one of the best regular seasons in MLB history. But it's impossible to ignore his three-strikeout outing in Game 1.

The same can be said about Alex Bregman's 0-for-4 day. It was a harsh stumble back to reality after his miraculous finish to the regular season, which featured two home runs against his former team, the Boston Red Sox. Similarly, it's hard to get on his case considering the recent injury and red-hot second-half effort. However, simply put, the postseason is when stars need to be stars.

San Diego served as an excellent reminder of that. Not only did Fernando Tatis Jr. send the first pitch of the game out of the ballpark, but Manny Machado proceeded to smash the second pitch he saw over the wall. They each had a two-hit day, while Xander Bogaerts finished with his own RBI. Those are high-profile names making an immediate impact.

Don't get me wrong, winning a playoff series is a team effort. The Cubs need EVERYONE to show up over the next two games to have a chance. But when you're spiraling out of control like the Cubs were on Tuesday night, it's these superstar players who are expected to stop the bleeding. If neither Crow-Armstrong nor Bregman can get into a groove tonight, the Cubs will begin a long offseason far quicker than anyone expected.

Biggest Concern: Padres Still Fresh

Sep 26, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres relief pitcher Mason Miller (22) celebrates with catcher Ethan Salas (8) after defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As if failing to get a hit until the seventh inning wasn't bad enough, it's the kind of performance that could significantly hurt the Chicago Cubs 24 hours later.

Michael King going 7.0 innings meant that the Padres needed just two relievers to finish out the game. San Diego now has an incredibly fresh bullpen heading into a potential series clincher. Worst of all for the Cubs, they have Mason Miller waiting in the wings.

Overall, San Diego's bullpen holds the 5th-best ERA in baseball and has struck out the second-most batters. The Cubs may be pretty good at drawing long at-bats and avoiding Ks, but that will be a lot easier said than done against this well-rested bullpen.

Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs.

Add us as a preferred source on Google