Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres
- Game 1: 6:40 p.m. Monday (Padres.TV)
- Game 2: 6:40 p.m. Tuesday (Padres.TV)
- Game 3: 1:10 p.m. Wednesday (Padres.TV)
In the standings
Chicago Cubs (17-11, 2nd in NL Central)
The Cubs had won 10 in a row before losing their last two games at Dodger Stadium. They remain a game behind the Reds in the NL Central, while their plus-31 run differential is fourth best in the majors. Chicago split its six games against the Padres last year, but Chicago bounced the Padres in three games in the NL Wild Card Series.
San Diego Padres (18-9, 2nd in NL West)
The Padres had won six straight series before losing a lead in the seventh inning on Sunday in Mexico City as they settled for a split with Arizona. The Padres went 5-3 on the road trip through Anaheim (2-1), Colorado (2-1) and Mexico City to play Arizona (1-1). The Padres’ plus-12 run differential is seventh best in the majors. Their record is third best, behind the Braves (20-9) and the Dodgers (19-9).
Trending
Chicago: The Cubs are hitting .291/.379/.489 over the last week, with OF Seiya Suzuki (1.183 OPS) accounting for four of the team’s 13 homers over that stretch. 1B Michael Busch (.881 OPS) and SS Dansby Swanson (.734 OPS) both have two home runs in the last week. Rookie Moises Ballesteros DH Moises Ballesteros is hitting .438/.526/.875 over the last week. LHP Hoby Milner (2.70 ERA) leads the team with 13 appearances on the season, followed by 12 from RHP Jacob Webb (4.66 ERA).
San Diego: The Padres played five straight games in elevation, but only two regulars had an OPS over .570 in Colorado and Mexico City: SS Xander Bogaerts (.929) and 3B Manny Machado, who homered twice on Sunday to push his OPS to .889. On the flip side, five Padres finished that portion of the trip under .600: 2B Jake Cronenworth (.568), OF Ramón Laureano (.566), OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (.542), 1B Gavin Sheets (.529) and OF Jackson Merrill (.509). RHP Mason Miller is riding a string of 34⅔ straight scoreless innings, a franchise record.
Pitching matchups
Monday
Cubs LHP Matthew Boyd (1-1, 5.79 ERA) | The 35-year-old veteran has a 22-to-3 strikeout to walk ratio through three starts (14 IP). He missed three weeks with a biceps strain. Boyd faced the Padres twice in the regular season last year (1.59 ERA, 11⅓ IP) and once in the NL Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field (4⅓ IP, 1 ER).
Padres RHP Randy Vásquez (2-0, 1.88 ERA) | The Padres have won all five of his starts, three of which have been quality. Vásquez beat the Rockies at Coors Field last week, striking out five over seven shutout innings without a walk. He has a 2.57 ERA in three career starts against the Cubs. He walked seven against four strikeouts in two starts last year (2.79 ERA).
Tuesday
Cubs RHP Edward Cabrera (2-0, 2.73 ERA) | The Cubs pried Cabrera from the Marlins over the offseason for former Padres draftee Owen Caissie and two minor leaguers. Cabrera is coming off a career-high 137 ⅔ innings last year. Three of his five starts this year have been quality, but Cabrera allowed five runs — three earned — in seven innings last week against the Phillies. Cabrera has an 0.54 ERA in three career starts against the Padres, including one run in 5⅔ innings in a win last year.
Padres RHP Walker Buehler (1-2, 5.75 ERA) | He tied a season-high with three walks while lasting just 2⅔ innings (4 ER) in his last start at Coors Field. His two strikeouts in that loss were a season low. Buehler has a 4.54 ERA in 37⅔ innings (7 games, 6 starts) in his career against the Cubs. He last faced them in 2024 (5 IP, 5 ER).
Wednesday
Cubs RHP Jameson Taillon (1-1, 4.55 ERA) | He’s gone six innings in three of his five starts so far this season, but he has a 5.73 ERA in two road starts. Taillon has a 2.40 ERA in five regular-season starts against the Padres. He also started last year’s decisive Game 3 in the NL Wild Card Series with four shutout innings.
Padres RHP Matt Waldron (0-1, 12.46 ERA) | He has allowed 16 hits, including two home runs, through his first two starts (8 ⅔ innings. Waldron has thrown his knuckleball 31.3% of the time so far and is allowing a .500 batting average and a .929 slugging percentage off the pitch. This is Waldron’s first career start against the Cubs.
2026 team leaders
- OPS: Cubs—2B Nico Hoerner (.856), OF Ian Happ (.830), SS Dansby Swanson (.740); Padres—SS Xander Bogaerts (.781), OF Ramón Laureano (.777), 1B Gavin Sheets (.710).
- HRs: Cubs—Happ (7), Swanson (6), four tied with 3; Padres—Bogaerts (4), Laureano (4), 3B Manny Machado (4).
- RBIs: Cubs—Hoerner (23), Swanson (21), Happ (14); Padres—Laureano (18), Bogaerts (16), Machado (16).
- Steals: Cubs—Hoerner (7), OF Pete Crow-Armstrong (2), OF Matt Shaw (2); Padres—OF Fernando Tatis Jr. (6), OF Jackson Merrill (5), two tied with 3.
- Saves: Cubs—LHP Caleb Thielbar (2-for-3, 3.12 ERA), three tied with 1; Padres—RHP Mason Miller (10-for-10, 0.00 ERA).
- Holds: Cubs—LHP Hoby Milner (2, 2.70 ERA), RHP Ben Brown (1, 2.37 ERA), Thielbar (1); Padres—RHP Jason Adam (5, 1.59 ERA), LHP Kyle Hart (4, 4.91 ERA), LHP Adrián Morejón (4, 5.93 ERA).
Training room
Chicago: The Cubs bullpen is dealing with a number of injuries, led by closer (laDaniel Palencia t strain). Chicago is also without LHP Riley Martín (elbow), RHP Phil Maton (knee), LHP Caleb Thielbar (hamstring), RHP Hunter Harvey (triceps), LHP Jordan Wicks (forearm), RHP Ethan Roberts (finger), RHP Shelby Miller (elbow) and RHP Porter Hodge (flexor). RHP Cade Horton (UCL) is done for the year, while LHP Justin Steele (elbow) could return from last year’s surgery in the first half of the season.
San Diego: RHP Jeremiah Esterada (elbow) is rehabbing at low Single-A Lake Elsinore, while RHP Griffin Canning (Achilles) has made four rehab starts at Triple-A El Paso. LHP Yuki Matsui (groin) is also rehabbing with El Paso. RHP Nick Pivetta (elbow) is still in a rest and rehab mode, while RHP Joe Musgrove (Tommy John) has not returned to the mound since his spring training setback.