Worldwide Sports News

The San Diego Padres host the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the National League wild card series on Tuesday at Petco Park, with each team looking to take a huge step towards the next round.

It's a rematch of last year's wild card series, won by the Cubs at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Right-hander Michael King will start the opener for the Padres, with southpaw Matthew Boyd taking the mound for the Cubs.

"Very professional lineup," King said of the Cubs' offense. "They were first in runs this year and it shows."

The Padres are trying to get back to the World Series for the first time since 1998 and are in the postseason for the fourth time in five years, undoubtedly the most successful spell in the franchise's history.

“It's a new year, it's a different year," Padres third baseman Manny Machado said. “Obviously, that stung last year for us. They played better ball than us last year. This year's going to be a little bit different. "

Follow for live updates:

Where to watch Padres vs. Cubs: Channel, streaming

First pitch between the Padres and Cubs is scheduled for 10 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

• Game time: 10 p.m. ET
• TV channel:NBCSN
• Streaming: Peacock

Watch the MLB Postseason on Peacock

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Padres vs Cubs LIVE updates: Score, highlights and where to watch MLB playoff game

Information in this article was imported automatically into a template written and reviewed by a USA TODAY Sports editor. You can send feedback using this form.

Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.

Somehow they did it. The San Diego Padres won 90-plus games for the third consecutive year, making the postseason each of those seasons. In his rookie year in the manager’s chair, Craig Stammen has continued this club’s regular season success (in spite of his pitfalls). It’s been a stellar 2026 campaign for the Friars, and it all comes down to this.

It’s easy to make the argument that this is the most defining game of the Padres’ chase towards the World Series. Since the inception of the Wild Card round in MLB, only two teams have ever come back from losing Game 1. In a three-game set, anything can happen. In a roaring Petco Park, with their ace on the mound, San Diego will need to earn the win over the Chicago Cubs.

Taking the mound

Matthew Boyd (CHC) v. Michael King (SD)

Despite getting knocked around by San Diego in both of his starts this season, Boyd has the potential to dominate in the series opener. Across two starts against the Friars (9.0 IP), Boyd has surrendered eight runs on 16 hits and two walks. His first start was a slugfest that San Diego eventually won. The second was a slugfest that Chicago won out.

The Padres’ lineup (108 at-bats) has a career .315/.339/.500 slash line versus the left-hander. Of hitters with 10-plus at-bats, Manny Machado has the most success with a .450 batting average and 1.255 OPS (20 ABs). The question for Chicago is whether Boyd can keep up. In the past, he’s been picked up by the Cubs’ stellar offense. If they can’t solve King, Boyd might easily be outdueled before anyone realizes what’s happening.

King has long been the obvious option for the Padres in this role. He pitched just one inning out of the bullpen in the 2025 playoffs after returning from the injured list late in the season. But King dominated in 2024. In Game 1 of the NL Wild Card series versus the Atlanta Braves, King struck out 12 batters over seven scoreless innings. If he can replicate that against Chicago tonight, it would be massive for San Diego’s chances.

Surprisingly, King hasn’t faced the Cubs yet this season. That could give him an edge over Chicago’s potent lineup. He’ll need to mix it up and keep hitters guessing to work deep into the game. King’s been incredible down the stretch, pitching to a 2.84 ERA in his last 15 starts (88.2 IP). That said, he’s coming off of a tough start against the Los Angeles Dodgers (5 ER, 4.0 IP). How he bounces back from that will determine how the series plays out.

Batter up!

The Padres’ lineup has consistently posted fantastic numbers throughout the final month of the season. The question is if that can continue. The Friars scored five or more runs in 16 games in September. The offense will need to keep that rolling to avoid another early exit at the hands of Chicago.

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

Sheets seems likely to retain sole DH duties since returning from the injured list. Campusano could take over some of that role if Freddy Fermin or Ethan Salas are behind the dish, but Sheets will be limited due to his foot still being somewhat injured. The slugger launched a mammoth home run (17) in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon. His resurgence could be huge for the Friars.

Relief corps

It’s imperative that San Diego wins this game, meaning it’s all hands on deck until they advance or go home. Jason Adam, Griffin Canning, Yuki Matsui, Mason Miller, Adrian Morejon, David Morgan, Bradgley Rodriguez, Wandy Peralta and Randy Vásquez should be the options out of the ‘pen for the Padres.

However, Robbie Ray could easily fill out a bullpen role for San Diego. That seems unlikely, given his lack of working in bulk relief. Ray will seemingly be left off of the roster until a potential NLDS matchup with the Milwaukee Brewers. The bullpen could easily be the turning point for San Diego in this series. In a three-game set, all the Padres need is a lead going into the seventh and a win is all but guaranteed.

Major League Baseball on Tuesday announced the broadcast schedule for the first few days of the Division Series, and Game 2 of the Dodgers’ NLDS at Dodger Stadium will be played under the lights on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. As for Game 1 on Saturday, that depends on who wins the Cubs-Padres wild card series in San Diego.

Keep in mind, the Dodgers won’t be playing the Cubs-Padres winner in the NLDS. The Dodgers will play either the Atlanta Braves or Philadelphia Phillies. Atlanta leads Philadelphia 1-0 in their best-of-3 wild card series.

If the Cubs win the wild card round, the Dodgers on Saturday will play at 6 p.m. PT in Game 1 of the NLDS in a game televised by FS1. If the Padres win the wild card round, the Dodgers will play Game 1 at 1 p.m. PT Saturday and be televised by FS1.

Either way, Game 2 on Sunday at Dodger Stadium is set for 5 p.m. on FS1. The start times for rest of the Division Series will be revealed later this week, after all the wild card series have been decided.

Fox Sports will televise the entirety of the National League playoffs as well as the World Series, which means every game the Dodgers play this October will be televised by Fox or FS1. Announcer assignments haven’t yet been announced by Fox for the NLDS.

Game	Date	Location	Time (PT)	TV
1	Sat, Oct 3	Dodger Stadium	1 p.m. or 6 p.m.	Fox or FS1
2	Sun, Oct 4	Dodger Stadium	5 p.m.	FS1
3	Tue, Oct 6	Atlanta/Philadelphia	TBA	Fox or FS1
4*	Wed, Oct 7	Atlanta/Philadelphia	TBA	Fox or FS1
5*	Fri, Oct 9	Dodger Stadium	TBA	Fox or FS1

Saturday is the opener for all four Division Series, while the two American League series have Sunday off before resuming on Monday with Games 2. That leaves Sunday as a two-game day for both National League series.

Saturday, October 3 schedule

• ALDS Game 1: Astros/White Sox at Guardians, 10 a.m. PT (TBS)
• NLDS Game 1: Cubs at Brewers or Braves/Phillies at Dodgers at 1 p.m. (Fox)
• ALDS Game 1: Yankees/Red Sox at Rays, 3:30 p.m. (TBS)
• NLDS Game 1: Padres at Brewers at 4:30 p.m. or Braves/Phillies at Dodgers at 6 p.m. (FS1)

Sunday, October 4 schedule

• NLDS Game 2: Padres/Cubs at Brewers, 1 p.m. (FS1)
• NLDS Game 2: Braves/Phillies at Dodgers, 5 p.m. (Fox)

Monday, October 5 schedule

• ALDS Game 2: Astros/White Sox at Guardians, 2 p.m. (TBS)
• ALDS Game 2: Yankees/Red Sox at Rays, 5 p.m. (TBS)

Yankees manager Aaron Boone provided some updates prior to Tuesday's Wild Card Game 1 in the Bronx...

---

How close was the captain to a Wild Card return?

Aaron Judge was grinding his way back from his right calf injury in an effort to get onto the Yankees Wild Card roster, but in the end, he ultimately missed the cut. 

Judge was able to take live batting practice on Monday's off day in the Bronx. 

Boone said that the team has been encouraged by what they've seen from him to this point, but after meeting with the training staff, they felt he wasn't there yet.

"Yesterday was a significant step for him, and a sign that he's shown some real improvement over the last couple of weeks," the skipper said. "We had an honest conversation with the trainers last night after the workout, and I just felt like he wasn't quite ready to be what he needs to be for us."

Judge will continue to progress his way back, and the hope is that these next couple of days will be valuable for him if the Yankees are able to advance past the Red Sox into the ALDS. 

"He is doing everything he can to get better and heal as quickly as possible," Boone emphasized. 

With Judge remaining sidelined, though, New York will lean on trade deadline addition Heliot Ramos to handle the bulk of the playing time in right field against Boston's lefty-heavy pitching staff. 

Tuesday will mark the first postseason game of Ramos' five-year big-league career. 

"I just want to gain everyone's trust," the 27-year-old outfielder said. "Judge, his presence, the type of player he is, nobody can compare to that -- but at the end of the day, I'm me, I know I'm ready for it and I'm ready to go."

Grish and Big G back in the mix

While Judge wasn't ready to roll, the Yanks will receive two of their regular back for the series. 

Both Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham were able to return from their respective injuries after making significant progress in the closing weeks of the regular season. 

Grisham, out since Sept. 4 with a hamstring strain, is a full-go.

As for Stanton, Boone said that it's "awesome" seeing the big man back in the mix having been sidelined since late-April due to a calf strain and numerous reaggravations of the injury. 

"It's been a really tough year for G on the injury-front," he explained. "I give him a ton of credit -- after this last setback a month ago he could've just taken his ball and gone home, but he's just never stopped -- even through the frustration of a couple setbacks he's never stopped working to be some kind of option."

Even with all of the down time, Stanton's bat should play, as he's continued hitting throughout the year.

Don't expect to see him out there too too much in this series, though, as he'll likely only be limited to pinch-hit duties with the makeup of the Yanks Wild Card roster.

"It's a bullet off the bench, and it's a pretty dynamic one," Boone emphasized. "He feels ready to go, I know he'll handle the moment mentally and emotionally, and hopefully he has a big swing or two in him."

Stanton's had his share of big swings in his Yankee playoff career, racking up 16 HR and a .939 OPS over the years.

Weathers misses the cut

Like Judge, Boone said that it was a "tough call" to have to leave lefty Ryan Weathers off the WC roster.  

Weathers has been making tremendous progress returning from a forearm strain over the past few weeks, and looked healthy throwing his live BP session on Monday. 

Boone decided, however, they were better off playing things safe. 

"He threw one live going into yesterday, so had he been on this roster he wouldn't have thrown that yesterday, and I felt like we would be really limited with what we have going with 10 pitchers," Boone explained. "I felt like I probably would've had one inning with him in this series.

"So I feel like he needed that next one, and obviously there are no guarantees, but if we are able to advance I feel like he'll be in a good place to really be able to impact us moving forward."

Weathers has been sidelined since late-August due to the forearm flexor strain. 

The Braves have not had a good time playing the Phillies in the postseason recently. Austin Riley had a nightmarish 2026 season. While the end of this story isn’t yet set down in ink, the first intonations of a ritual chant could be heard on Tuesday afternoon, as Riley hit a monstrously-important three-run shot and the Braves grabbed the driver’s seat in their three-game set.

Before we get to a full recounting of events, it’s “important” to internalize that this was a crazy back-and-forth affair. The Phillies jumped ahead, the Braves tied it, the Braves jumped ahead, then the Phillies jumped ahead, and then BAM, Austin Riley made his way to the top rope, and delivered a knockout below. (Can you knock out demons? Ask Doom Guy, I don’t know. Why don’t they just talk to the Phillies?)

Brb gonna go watch this over and over again #LetItFly https://t.co/3EwUQCn4XX— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) September 29, 2026

The Braves have done a few things well this season. First, they have employed Chris Sale. Second, their bullpen has been pretty great, especially in terms of guys like Didier Fuentes. Third, they have played good defense. None of those helped the Braves as much as they could have today, as the Phillies pulled ahead while Fuentes was pitching thanks to a defensive problem. But, who cares. Riley came through, and the Braves have a 1-0 lead.

---

Okay, let’s go sequentially now. This game was weird, much like the Braves’ season. A lot of weird stuff happened. Let’s go.

Chris Sale’s day started with strikeout-walk-strikeout. In a 2-2 count, Sale threw a quite high 99 mph fastball around letter-high to Alec Bohm, and the latter jacked it to the left side of dead center. If the Braves were playing Bohm straightaway or to pull, Michael Harris II catches the ball, but he started on the same vertical “plane” as Ozzie Albies playing Bohm to pull, and couldn’t flag it down. 1-0, Phightins. A routine fly to center two pitches later got Sale back in the dugout.

The Braves basically can’t hit the Phillies version of Jesus Luzardo, and surprise surprise, they did not hit the Phillies version of Luzardo in this game. It didn’t matter that Luzardo hadn’t had a start since early in September and had thrown a four-pitch inning two days ago. The Braves had nothing, really. Fortunately, the Phillies basically couldn’t do anything about Sale, either. The next two frames had no action.

Mauricio Dubon started the bottom of the second with a bloop double to left, and then stuff got weird. Harris bunted for some reason, but okay, runner on third. Albies followed with a walk. Luzardo, Riley, and Riley’s passive trait, “WPA Vortex” (why did you take that trait, Austin?!) then resulted in something I’ve never seen before: Luzardo threw a pitch high and tight. Riley shrunk back, and the ball hit the knob of Riley’s bat… and bumped into fair territory. Dubon was dead to rights off the third base bag, and the Braves looked like they squandered an opportunity, until…

…Mike Yastrzemski, in there at DH despite a lefty on the hill given the Braves’ spare parts backend of the roster, jumped at a first pitch sinker and rolled it weakly back up the box for a seeing-eye, game tying single. Luzardo followed with a full count to Ha-Seong Kim, but struck him out on a pitch inside.

And then, it was more rolling for Sale and Luzardo. The Braves got a couple on in the fourth — this time, Riley got legitimately plunked and the knob of his bat wasn’t involved. Yastrzemski only managed a weak flyout, though.

Sale struck out the side in the fifth, working around a two-out roller double down the line. Luzardo also kept chugging, with just a hit-by-pitch of Ronald Acuña Jr. in the bottom of the inning. In the sixth, there was a Kyle Schwarber single off Sale, and a scary moment where Bryce Harper almost hit a two-run homer but hooked it foul, but nothing else. And, in the sixth, the Phillies finally removed Luzardo — 77 pitches, five innings, a 6/1 K/BB ratio, two hit-by-pitches, and one very fortunate knob job.

The Braves wasted no time celebrating a lack of Luzardo. Harris singled with one out, and Albies wrapped his heavy bat head around a 99 mph, belt-high fastball from Alex McFarlane. The ball was nearly a homer, but instead, it hit a leaping Derek Hill in the wrist at the wall, turning into a go-ahead triple. Did the Braves score Albies? No, they did not. Riley grounded out, and Yastrzemski, now getting to face a righty, struck out.

It was a short-lived lead. Sale came out and struck out Hill, which featured a bizarre sequence where the NBC broadcast completely fell apart and seemed to have no idea who was batting, what the count was (even beyond John Kruk, who seemed to lose track of those things over the course of the game). That could’ve been a humorous aside, but it turned sinister. Sale clipped Bryan De La Cruz for his second plunking of the day, and then Bryson Stott, after trying to bunt, blooped a single on a way-inside fastball to put runners on the corners.

That was it for Sale: a 9/1 K/BB ratio, two hit-by-pitches, and not much else. One strength had done its business, and now it was time for another: Didier Fuentes. Except, it didn’t work out that way. Fuentes did get pinch-hitter Justin Crawford to mishit an in-zone 3-1 slider and pop it up to shallow center, keeping the game tied. But, on a 1-0 pitch, J.T. Realmuto lashed a 99 fastball on the outer portion for what was called a “triple.” It wasn’t really a triple — Acuña ran over to cut the ball off but failed to glove it, allowing Realmuto to get to third. Would Stott have scored anyway? I have no idea. Fortunately, we don’t need to debate this because of Big Boss Austin Riley. Fuentes escaped the inning, but the Braves were now down.

The Phillies did a weird thing. They brought in mega-closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh. I get it. The top of this Braves lineup is, on paper, the only scary thing. Duran ate the Braves alive in the bottom of the seventh, or nearly did. He only threw 12 pitches, but the last one was a 3-1, down-the-pipe, batter licks his lips (his own lips, not Duran’s) splitter, and Acuña took a huge hack… but got under it, and the 106 mph exit velocity only went 369 feet for an easy flyout.

Dylan Lee had no trouble in the eighth, and the bottom of the frame started with Curt saying, “oh, this is one of those games” in our internal Slack, as Matt Olson hit a screaming liner right into Duran’s glove. That sentiment continued, as Dubon tried to bloop a ball to right, but it was caught.

And then, the fun began. Harris singled, his third hit of the day, on a bouncer past the mound. (Trea Turner threw the ball away, but it didn’t matter.) Duran then walked Albies. Or hit Albies. I don’t know, his 3-2 pitch missed badly and the Braves challenged but uh, I guess the box score says he got hit. And then, Austin Riley time. Remember that WPA Vortex trait? I guess he somehow got out of it, because, well, this was the biggest hit of the Braves’ season so far:

AUSTIN RILEY GOES DEEEEP! 💣 #BravesCountry

“Riley rattles one out of here as he gave it a ride. And the Braves take the lead in the 8th!”@IngramRadio | @BravesRadioNethttps://t.co/EwnYfup4yCpic.twitter.com/dRasGvxEwh— 680 The Fan (@680TheFan) September 29, 2026

He knew it. The stadium knew it. The Phillies fans that hate their team for some reason (look, no real shade, we have a ton of those here too) knew it. 5-3, Braves.

The ball was apparently wind-aided. It didn’t matter; it would’ve scored both Harris and Albies anyway with two outs, and the Phillies didn’t plate another.

Raisel Iglesias slammed the door. Well, I guess it was more like, “he was there while some other guys shoved it shut.” There was a leadoff single by Brandon Marsh, but De La Cruz followed by rolling a sinker right to Dubon at short for an easy double play. (Dubon moved over to short after Dominic Smith pinch hit for Ha-Seong Kim earlier in the game.) After a brief, four-pitch battle with Stott, an easy fly to left resulted, and just like that… the exorcism was begun in earnest.

Both Riley and Albies had struggle bug seasons, but came through in a big way, with two big extra-base hits a walk, and a hit-by-pitch between them. (Also that weird off-the-knob thing.) The top of the lineup did basically nothing, 0-for-11 with a hit-by-pitch and three strikeouts, but it didn’t matter with Riley in the house.

The series continues tomorrow as the Braves will try to get an old priest and a young priest onto the field and advance to the next round.

Jesus Luzardo, who’s last start was back on September 7th, pitched five innings of one-run ball. It was easily the best-case scenario given how things could play out.

The Phillies’ offense entered this postseason ranked 28th in wRC+ and was without Luis Arraez, who was their cleanup hitter before a brutal sprained ankle took him off the postseason roster. Despite that and despite facing Chris Sale, who is nearly a lock to finish in the top five for the National League Cy Young race, they tacked on three runs. It was probably the best-case scenario.

Despite all of that, the Phillies just couldn’t muster enough to take down the Braves in game one. While
Cristopher Sánchez takes the ball for game two, 15 of the 16 Wild Card series entering 2026 went to the team who won game one. The Phillies could win the series still, but it would take a lot.

Everything seemed to go the Phillies’ way in the first. Sale was not sharp, struggling to land the fastball in the zone and get a strong feel for his unhittable slider. Kyle Schwarber worked a one-out walk that took seven pitches. After a Bryce Harper strikeout, Alec Bohm crushed a head-high, 99.1 mph fastball right after the head of a sprinting Michael Harris in center field. Schwarber scored easily without a competitive throw.

Luzardo’s first inning was like clockwork but the second inning featured trouble. He struggled to land his fastball in the zone for strikes and had no feel for his sweeper and changeup. He hung a changeup to Mauricio Dubón, who smoked a double down the left field line to lead off the inning.

After a Michael Harris sacrifice bunt, Ozzie Albies worked a five-pitch walk with Luzardo struggling to throw competitive pitches. He got bailed out against Austin Riley, who saw a fastball going right to his hands, only to hit the knob of the ball and squirt right to Luzardo. Dubón made a very smart play at third, getting into a rundown that allowed Albies to get to third with two outs.

On the very next pitch, Mike Yastrzemski punched a seeing-eye single right past Bryson Stott’s glove and the Braves tied it at one.

Neither Luzardo or Sale would run into issues for nearly the remainder of their outings. Sale coasted with the fastball and slider with an occasional changeup. There was an Edmundo Sosa double in the fifth with two outs, but JT Realmuto went down swinging to end the threat.

It was the Phillies bullpen that started to bring offensive life into this game. Don Mattingly’s first guy out was Alex McFarlane, the rookie right-hander with an overpowering fastball, who’s command has gotten better and better with almost every outing.

With one out, Michael Harris went to left field on a 101.6 mph sinker, tailing away from the strike zone for a single. On the third pitch Albies saw, he smoked a 99.3 mph fastball to dead center field but Derek Hill mistimed his jump and the ball went right off his wrist. Albies got to third easily and Harris ran home and the Braves took a 1-0 lead.

With one out and a runner at third, McFarlane was able to settle down, getting an Austin Riley groundout and a Mike Yastrzemski strikeout.

The Braves sent Sale back out for the seventh and almost immediately looked gassed. With one out, Bryan De La Cruz was hit by a slider and Bryson Stott punched a fastball into right field to put runners on first and third.

Mattingly went to his bench, asking Justin Crawford to come up in a big spot against Braves right handed Didier Fuentes. Both were rookies who made the opening day roster and play roles in both teams getting to this point, albeit Fuentes was significantly better.

With a 3-1 count, Crawford hit a pop up on a slider and the runners stayed put. On the second pitch JT Realmuto saw, he punched a 99.4 mph fastball right over Matt Olson’s head and down the right field line. It took a weird hop on the lip of the grass, which Ronald Acuña Jr. could not handle. Both runners scored and the Phillies took the lead with nine more outs to go.

Jhoan Duran came in because the Phillies have no other options. Asking Duran to get six, maybe even all nine outs is a task almost any reliever would fail at. But this is where the Phillies are at. There was no one else.

He worked quickly through the seventh inning and got the first two outs of the eighth with a manageable pitch count. It seemed like Duran was ready to potentially give them all nine outs for the Phillies to steal a game, and potentially steal a playoff series they have no business being in.

With a 2-0 count, Michael Harris swung at a splinker, that chopped right over Duran’s head and Trea Turner had no chance to exchange the ball from his glove and fire an out to first base. After that infield single, Duran hit Ozzie Albies on a backfoot curveball that put two runners on.

After a lengthy review to decide that it clearly hit Albies foot, Austin Riley stepped into the batters box looking for a fastball. He got that fastball, only at 99.9 mph but it wasn’t 102 like Duran was throwing earlier. Riley got the barrel to hit, 104.6 mph off the bat and barely over the large right field wall that swung the series. The Braves took a 5-3 lead and the Phillies went down in the ninth.

It will be easy to blame Duran for that, blame Mattingly for that, or whoever. The Phillies bullpen entered this series with two trusted relievers. The aforementioned Duran, who had a 1.82 ERA over 59.1 innings as the Phillies’ closer and Alex McFarlane. Both of them allowed runs, Duran allowed a three-run homerun.

However, the Phillies were asking for trouble when the best possible plan called for both of them to successfully pitch multiple innings to win a playoff game. Neither could and the Braves are in the drivers seat with a 1-0 lead in a best of three.