Padres Predicted to Upset NL Powerhouse in Wild Card Round

Sep 17, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; San Diego Padres left fielder Ramon Laureano (5) celebrates with center fielder Jackson Merrill (3) and right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (23) after defeating the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly predicts the San Diego Padres to knock the NL Central's Chicago Cubs out of the Wild Card round in October.

The Padres split the season series against the Cubs this season, 3-3, taking two of three at home while snatching a close game at Wrigley Field. With the Cubs' superstars recent slumps, Kelly believes the Padres will find themselves into the divisional round.

"Another, slight, upset. But Kyle Tucker is playing through a hairline fracture in his right hand, while, as mentioned previously, [Pete] Crow-Armstrong and [Seiya] Suzuki have struggled since the [All-Star Game]," wrote Kelly. "The Padres have a deep bullpen and star-studded lineup. If they can get one or two pitchers hot behind Pivetta, they could go on a run."

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Crow-Armstrong has batted below .200 in each of the last two months, and Suzuki has just two home runs since the All-Star break. Tucker hasn't played since Sept. 2, and has been on the injured list since Sept. 9 with a calf issue.

Despite the Cubs stars' recent slumps, the Padres are also on something of a cold streak. They've dropped their last two series against postseason hopefuls, beating only the Colorado Rockies in between. The Padres could also find a way out of a Wild Card spot though, as they are just three games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers with nine to play.

Kelly admitted the Padres could still overthrow the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West, however the most likely outcome is them finishing in a Wild Card spot.

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"The Padres are going to be in the playoffs, but it's a matter of what form," Kelly added. "They're still pushing the Dodgers in the NL West, but the most likely outcome is they'll be the second wild-card team and the No. 5 seed in the postseason. Nick Pivetta has had a tremendous first season in San Diego, but the Padres desperately need some combination of Michael King, Dylan Cease and Yu Darvish to give them a better feeling about their starting rotation heading into the playoffs."

They'll still try to make a push for the division title, and they have an opportunity to gain some ground in a series against the Chicago White Sox, which begins Friday at 4:40 p.m. PT.

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.