Manny Machado Sends Clear Message After Padres' Sweep of Cubs

Machado and the Padres are playing their best baseball at the right time.

Sep 29, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Chicago Cubs 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

San Diego Padres star third baseman Manny Machado is ready for more after sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the wild-card series.

Machado and the Padres defeated the Cubs in two games to advance to the National League Division Series. San Diego will now face the top-seeded Milwaukee Brewers in a best-of-five series.

Although San Diego will be the underdog in this upcoming series, Machado is poised to have three more champagne celebrations in October.

“We’re not done,” Machado said in the postgame locker room celebration. “We’re not done. We’re gonna continue to fight … to bring a championship to the city of San Diego.”

The Padres entered the 2026 postseason as one of the league's hottest teams, and they proved it in two games.

"Man, we've been playing some really good baseball," Machado said. "Hopefully we can keep doing that."

The Padres handled the Cubs in dominant fashion.

Chicago entered the series leading the majors in runs. However, they score just once in 18 innings and mustered only eight hits. The Padres dominated the Cubs in front of their home fans, and the pitching did their part.

Padres ace Michael King started things off with a bang. In Game 1 of the series, King led the way with seven scoreless innings.

Padres starter Nick Pivetta and the bullpen picked up right where King left off on Wednesday night.

"We do have a strong bullpen, and even the guys we haven't used are very good pitchers also," manager Craig Stammen said. "That's going to be the strength of our team as we go through the postseason."

Can the Padres Pull Off an Upset Against the Brewers?

The Padres enter their series against the Brewers as underdogs with +150 odds to come out on top.

The Brewers are major favorites with -180 odds.

Milwaukee enters with the best record in baseball. Likely NL Cy Young winner Jacob Misiorowski leads the Brewers in this series.

The young ace will likely get two starts if the series goes the distance.

While this will certainly be the Padres' toughest test yet, they are as confident as ever to get the job done.

"Momentum’s the biggest thing in baseball," Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill said. "It doesn’t matter whether it’s a regular-season game or a postseason game. Momentum is everything. We know they’re a good baseball team. They play the game to win.

"But you know what? We’re a pretty good baseball team, too."

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