Cubs on Brink of Elimination After Disastrous Game 1 of NL Wild Card Series

That was a miserable experience.

The Chicago Cubs were absolutely smoked by the San Diego Padres, losing the opening game of their Wild Card series 8-0. Matthew Boyd gave up a home run on the first pitch of the game, and things only got worse as the Cubs failed to register even a hit until the 7th inning.

The Cubs had to burn five pitchers to finish out the game, including top lefty reliever Ryan Rolison, who had to bail Javier Assad out of a jam in the 5th. They once again struggled with runners in scoring position, going 1-7 and leaving eight runners on base. It was truly one of the Cubs' worst performances of the season, coming in their most important game to date.

And to cap off the night, Joe Musgrove pitched for the first time in two seasons, striking out Michael Busch to start the 9th and then Michael Conforto to end the game and seal a Padres win. Just a bad, bad loss for the Cubs, who now must win two in a row to advance to the NLDS.

Cubs burned by Boyd and the longball

Sep 29, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Matthew Boyd (16) pitches against the San Diego Padres during the first inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cubs essentially had to throw Matthew Boyd into this game. Kevin Gausman's right shoulder was still not fully healthy, while Clay Holmes would have had to throw on short rest. So Boyd took the mound for the Cubs in Game 1, and Fernando Tatis Jr. set the tone immediately.

El flow de Fernando Tatis Jr. es único 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LsxpNDnLYu
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) September 30, 2026

Pete Crow-Armstrong came very close to robbing Tatis Jr's lead-off home run, but it cleared the fence, putting the Padres up 1-0 after one single pitch in the bottom of the 1st. Manny Machado would later add a solo home run to make it 2-0 as the momentum swung heavily to the home team.

Boyd would only last to the 4th inning, allowing four runs on five hits and three home runs, exiting the game with the Cubs down 4-0. Jackson Merrill would break the game open with a two-run single with the bases loaded, extending the Padres' lead to 6-0. A passed ball allowed by Carson Kelly would cap off a three-run bottom of the 5th and doom the Cubs' chances at a comeback.

Boyd was allowed just 58 pitches (42 strikes), as the left-handed starter hung multiple changeups to Padres hitters. Boyd talked to the media after the game about his lack of command in Game 1.

Matthew Boyd on his start: "I wasn't as sharp with my changeup today. It could have been better. They definitely could have been better. A team like that, especially Machado and Tatis are gonna be aggressive. I just didn't throw it where I wanted to." pic.twitter.com/d4QrEaqJ2Q
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 30, 2026

A tough moment for the Cubs' 2025 All-Star and season-opening starter, who had looked solid in recent starts. The Padres do crush left-handed pitching, slugging .390 as a team, but Boyd just threw noncompetitive pitches and paid dearly.

The Cubs power outage leaks into the playoffs

Sep 29, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki (27) reacts after a strike against the San Diego Padres during the sixth inning during game one of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cubs have some of the best offensive numbers of any team in the playoffs right now. However, their inability to hit with power in the last week plus of the season is why they played this game in San Diego and not Chicago.

Of all the poor offensive showings in the last week, or even this entire season, the Cubs saved their worst for the most important game of the season. Michael King carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning before Nico Hoerner's single gave the Cubs their first hit of the game. It would be one of only three hits for the Cubs, who struck out 11 times with no extra-base hits. They would strand eight runners on base, with four of them being left in scoring position.

It was just a pitiful showing from the Cubs' offense, highlighted by Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman, who each struck out three times and went hitless on the evening. Bregman addressed the lack of offense with the media in San Diego after the game.

"We didn't do really anything right today ... just got to execute better in all phases of the game."

Alex Bregman on tonight's loss. pic.twitter.com/3wfk6PjK1I
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 30, 2026

Bregman gave credit to Michael King, who dominated the Cubs for seven innings of shutout baseball, but the Cubs as a team took some terrible at-bats. For example, the 2nd inning started with Seiya Suzuki reaching 1B on a throwing error by Xander Bogaerts, giving the Cubs their first base runner of the game.

It only took eight pitches from King to make quick work of Ian Happ, Hoerner, and Pedro Ramirez to end the inning unscathed. The Cubs didn't threaten the Padres until they were down 8-0 in the bottom of the 9th, loading the bases with one out. But a Ramirez pop-up and a Conforto strikeout ended the scoring chance and put the Padres up 1-0 in the NL Wild Card.

It's officially win or go home time

Aug 13, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) throws to the Washington Nationals during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cubs will send Kevin Gausman to the mound to face Nick Pivetta as they sit now one game away from elimination from the playoffs. This Cubs team under Craig Counsell has been a resilient group all season, battling injuries and coming back from tough losses has become their identity.

But it's hard to write a loss like this off. Even if the Padres did just about everything right, the Cubs have had too many games where the offense just comes up empty. Counsell said in his postgame media session that the Cubs couldn't square many balls off King, but that's been the story for their offense for the better part of this month.

Craig Counsell addresses the media after tonight's Game 1 loss ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/ZD8I076W3H
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 30, 2026

Counsell also downplayed the San Diego crowd's impact, but the Padres fans could be heard loud and clear on the Peacock broadcast before first pitch and only got louder as the night went on. The game quickly became about mitigating damage and surviving to compete in Games 2 & 3 as the Cubs threw in the proverbial towel on Game 1.

The Cubs are again the nightcap Wednesday night with a first pitch at 9 pm CT, which hopefully will give them some more time to adjust to the West Coast. After spending the last week in Miami, then Boston, and finishing the season in Tampa Bay, only to fly to the other side of the country in San Diego, it's not crazy to think the Cubs could have felt the effects of traveling to the NL Wild Card series.

Still, there are no excuses for this performance — the Cubs simply didn’t show up.

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