Takeaways After Cubs Fall Apart in Wild Card Series, Fail to Reach Full Potential

The Chicago Cubs were flat out embarrassed in this Wild Card series.

Craig Counsell's team was outscored 12-1 over two games after watching their chances of hosting a three-game playoff series at Wrigley Field slip away. The pitching wasn't great, but it was good enough for the Cubs to make this a game.

Nevertheless, it was another night of the Cubs stranding runners on base and failing to square any of the Padres' pitches, hitting only balls with exit velocity above 100 mph. And to cap things off, the likely NL MVP and the Cubs' biggest offseason acquisition went hitless in the Wild Card series.

The Padres bullpen showed its dominance, allowing only two hits after starter Nick Pivetta exited in the 4th inning. The Cubs went down without a fight as their 2026 season came to an end.

Kevin Gausman gave the Cubs everything he had

Sep 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Kevin Gausman (12) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the San Diego Padres during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 35-year-old veteran was brought to Chicago for this exact moment, and he took the mound reportedly less than 100 percent healthy. Gausman made it through only 3.1 innings before Craig Counsell replaced him with Daniel Palencia, allowing two runs on three hits.

Two at-bats later, Gavin Sheets would mash a decisive pinch-hit two-run home run to right field, putting the Padres up 4-1 in the 4th.

Sent that one to the Milky Way 💫 pic.twitter.com/fUeoYiLiQP
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) October 1, 2026

Sheets sent Palencia's 101 mph fastball 394 feet with an exit velocity of 107.5 mph - the hardest hit ball by the Padres. The Cubs bullpen actually was solid after Gausman, covering 3.2 innings and allowing just one earned run on the Sheets homer.

I do wonder why Clay Holmes wasn't named the Game 2 starter, especially if the plan was not to use him in the game. The Cubs sent top prospect Jefferson Rojas to acquire Holmes and his postseason prowess, so it's strange he didn't make an appearance in this series.

But the Cubs knew that with the current state of their pitching, they had to out-slug their opponents - and that definitely did not happen. The Cubs' pitchers got almost no run support from the league's highest-scoring offense.

One of the best offenses in baseball disappears in the playoffs

Sep 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs designated hitter Michael Conforto (20) strikes out in the ninth inning against the San Diego Padres during game two 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 offense needed home runs to propel their offense. The Cubs hit more than one home run in 59 games this season; that's over one-third of their games. They led the National League with 220 home runs. Only the Yankees and Astros hit more this season, and both of those teams play in hitter-friendly parks.

But in the 2026 NL Wild Card series. the Cubs didn't hit a single home run. Nico Hoerner's 9th-inning double was their only extra-base hit. Another night of terrible hitting with runners on base, going 1-8 and leaving 7 runners – a theme for most of September.

The Cubs simply need home runs to score. In fact, they entered the elimination game on a 14-game losing streak when failing to hit a long ball.

From @ESPNInsights: FWIW, The Cubs haven't won a game when they don't homer since July 30th at the Cardinals (won 4-2). They’ve lost 14 in a row when they don’t hit a home run, longest streak in MLB and longest for them since 2010.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) October 1, 2026

It's hard to wrap your head around the Cubs leading the league in slugging percentage but coming away with just one extra-base hit in a series. But it felt as if a lot of the Cubs hitters were pressing, particularly Pete Crow-Armstrong, who wasted a challenge in the first at-bat of the game.

PCA and Alex Bregman were once again hitless and combined to go 0-15 with eight strikeouts. Those results likely won't impact Crow-Armstrong's chance at the NL MVP this season, but his impact was minimal this series.

The Cubs were scuffling their way into the playoffs and ran into the hottest team in baseball. This series isn't indicative of the Cubs' whole season, but it did feel familiar – Jed Hoyer will have to find out what went wrong and how to address it this offseason.

Reflecting on the 2026 season after 162+ games

Sep 30, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) returns to the dugout after striking out in the first inning against the San Diego Padres during game two of the Wildcard round for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Now begins the process of exit interviews, locker cleanouts, and disappointed goodbyes. But it's also a time of reflection. Even if the end result wasn't what anyone wanted, the Cubs proved to be one of the most resilient teams in baseball.

Having to overcome injuries to their pitching all season, losing Cade Horton and Ben Brown threw a wrench into Craig Counsell's vision for his rotation. Daniel Palenica never once looked like the pitcher who closed out the World Baseball Classic for Team Venezuela.

Nico Hoerner and Alex Bregman were borderline unplayable at moments in the first half of the year. Moises Ballesteros went from a prospect whom the Cubs thought would be their everyday DH to being optioned back to Triple-A and eventually included in a deadline deal for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn.

Still, the Cubs continued to find ways to win games and held a six-game lead for the top Wild Card spot in the National League at one point. Pete Crow-Armstrong went on his MVP takeover of the league, and the Cubs found themselves in the thick of postseason conversations for the rest of the year.

They finished the year with the 5th-best record in the National League with 89 wins. And yet, everyone who watched this team knows that 2026 feels like a huge wasted season. The Cubs had something special brewing at different points of the year, but the team never truly found their stride.

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