The Chicago Cubs take on the San Diego Padres on the road for game 1 of the 2026 Wild Card series on Tuesday night. Through the course of the season the Cubs managed to put together one of the most impressive offenses in baseball while simultaneously holding a pitching staff that's gone through many ups and downs.
The Cubs beat the Padres in five of six contests throughout the regular season, but both series' came well before the All-Star break. It seems like ages ago since these two teams faced one another, but now that we're here, here's some keys to the game that the Cubs need to rely on to walk away the victor in Game 1.
1. Let the offense cook
Behind Pete Crow-Armstrong, the Cubs put together one of the most explosive offenses in baseball, boasting one of the best run differentials of the season at +147. Only the Brewers and the Dodgers had a better differential than the Cubs. Chicago scored more runs than any other team during the regular season with 850, Milwaukee was second best with 832.
If the Cubs can get their bats going and their momentum started early, there's no reason the team couldn't put together a repeat of their monstrous victory over the Padres back on July 1st, when they put 23 runs on the board.
2. Matthew Boyd needs to eat innings
With Matthew Boyd getting the nod, he'll need to maintain the momentum he's built through the season. An early injury that kept him off of the field early didn't prevent him from becoming one of the most reliable lefties the Cubs had.
Though Boyd put together an impressive 3.91 ERA in the regular season, ESPN has him listed with a 2.86 ERA on the road, surely a benefit to a Cubs team in San Diego. If the Cubs have a weakness, it's the bullpen, and every out Boyd can get takes another weight off of the pen.
3. Use familiarity to Chicago's advantage
Facing the Padres in the Wild Card series while the Brewers loom at the next stage is eerily familiar territory for the Cubs. It's almost the exact same scenario they played through and won last season. Between that playoff series win in 2025, and then the multiple series wins during the regular season in 2026, the Cubs clearly have the Padres number. Exploiting that could turn the tides in the Cubs' favor for good.
The most important thing about Game 1 is to get the win. Putting together a flow and establishing a calm presence without bullpen issues may be a struggle for the Cubs, but if they can rely on these keys, they'll be on a clear trajectory for another divisional series against Milwaukee.
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