Cubs vs. Padres NL Wild Card Lineup (Game 2): Do or Die, Is Gausman Ready? More

The Cubs will do everything to avoid elimination on Wednesday night.

Sep 19, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Matt Shaw (6) high fives teammates after the victory over the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the first time this season, the Chicago Cubs will face elimination. 

The Cubs enter Game 2 of the NL Wild Card Series with their backs against the wall following an embarrassing 8-0 drubbing at the hands of the lively San Diego Padres. They didn’t manage a hit until the 7th inning against Padres starter Michael King and were held scoreless with the bases loaded in the 9th, even with Joe Musgrove, who hadn’t pitched in two years, on the mound for San Diego.

Now, Chicago will throw everything at the wall and hope it sticks. The Padres have all the momentum, and the best thing the Cubs can do is make the necessary adjustments and take it one inning at a time. 

Game Info

Who: Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres

Where: Petco Park

When: 9 PM CT

Watch: Peacock, NBCSN

Listen: 104.3 The Score, WPPN 106.7 / TUDN (Cubs), ESPN (national)

Chicago Cubs Lineup 

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Alex Bregman, DH
3. Michael Busch, 1B
4. Seiya Suzuki, RF
5. Ian Happ, LF
6. Nico Hoerner, 2B
7. Matt Shaw, 3B
8. Carson Kelly, C
9. Dansby Swanson, SS

Cubs hitters have a pretty clear objective on Wednesday: Get hits, and get them early. 

Why? Firstly, they went 3-for-31 with 11 strikeouts in Game 1. That doesn’t win anybody playoff games.

And second, because the Padres didn’t even have to use Mason Miller on Tuesday, he’ll be readily available to come in and send Chicago packing if they can’t get to starter Nick Pivetta before then. 

Craig Counsell is making just one change for Wednesday, and that is swapping out Pedro Ramirez for Matt Shaw at third base. Ramirez made his postseason debut Tuesday and went hitless (as did nearly the rest of the lineup) in the contest.

In the playoffs last season, Shaw went 2-for-17 with an RBI, seven strikeouts and five walks. 

San Diego Padres Lineup

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Dustin Harris, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jackson Merrill, CF
6. Xander Bogaerts, SS
7. Ethan Salas, C
8. Austin Hays, DH
9. Jake Cronenworth, 2B

The Padres make two changes from Game 1, bringing in left-handed hitters Dustin Harris and Ethan Salas to face Cubs righty Kevin Gausman. 

For Salas, it will be his playoff debut behind the dish after playing just 30 games in the big leagues. The 20-year-old is set to become the youngest catcher to start a postseason game in MLB history. 

The Padres will be hoping they can have as good a start as they did with Fernando Tatis Jr.’s first-pitch home run in Game 1. Gausman will be a new look for every single member of the Padres lineup besides Ty France, the latter of whom has faced Gausman three times and has one hit to show for it.

On The Mound … 

Sep 9, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Cubs - Kevin Gausman, RHP 

Well… is Kevin Gausman really going to be ready to pitch? Per the Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro, Gausman’s shoulder is ‘still not 100%’ after he tweaked it making a diving tag at third base last week. 

That doesn’t necessarily bode well for a Cubs team that really needs a clean first inning out of him. 

The good thing is it can’t go much worse for Gausman than it did for Boyd in Game 1. The real question is, what is the Cubs’ plan of attack if it does? They used four relievers to cover four innings on Wednesday. The only fresh bullpen arms going into Wednesday are Colin Rea, Daniel Palencia and Ryan Zeferjahn. It’s also possible they could turn to a starter — like Shota Imanaga or Clay Holmes — in relief should things become really desperate. 

Padres - Nick Pivetta, RHP 

Pivetta just returned from the 60-day IL with right elbow inflammation on Sept. 7, and since then, he has a 1.45 ERA with 18 strikeouts over 18.2 innings. The right-hander started Game 1 of last year’s wild-card series and allowed back-to-back solo shots to Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly, but also struck out nine Cubs over five innings. 

The Padres only used two relievers on Tuesday, and they’ll have their two best in Adrian Morejon and Miller fully rested. 

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