Cubs Stun Padres 3-1, Set Up High-Stakes NLDS Showdown with Brewers

Alright, let’s unpack this wild night at Wrigley Field — where Pete Crow-Armstrong came through with a clutch RBI single off Yu Darvish, who, honestly, looked a bit off his game. The Cubs locked down a 3-1 win against the Padres, clinching the NL Wild Card Series in Game 3. It was electric, with 40,895 fans roaring, lifting the Cubs to their first postseason progress since 2017 — that’s quite a drought they finally broke. Michael Busch’s solo homer and Jameson Taillon’s four innings of shutout pitching set the stage before Craig Counsell played his bullpen chess, unleashing five relievers to seal the deal.

The ninth inning brought drama — Brad Keller stumbled, giving up a homer and plunking a couple of batters, but Andrew Kittredge closed it out by retiring the last two Padres, keeping the Cubs’ momentum alive. Next stop? A heated Division Series faceoff with the Brewers, the NL Central champs. Oh, and here’s the spicy bit — Counsell, freshly hired by the Cubs in November 2023, spent nine years managing Milwaukee, where he remains a popular target for boos. That narrative alone amps up the stakes for Saturday’s opener in Milwaukee.

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CHICAGO — Pete Crow-Armstrong hit an RBI single off a shaky Yu Darvish, and the Chicago Cubs shut down Fernando Tatis Jr. and the San Diego Padres for a clinching 3-1 victory in Game 3 of their NL Wild Card Series on Thursday.

Backed by a raucous crowd of 40,895 at Wrigley Field, Chicago used its stellar defense to advance in the postseason for the first time since 2017. Michael Busch hit a solo homer, and Jameson Taillon pitched four shutout innings before manager Craig Counsell used five relievers to close it out.

After Brad Keller faltered in the ninth — allowing Jackson Merrill’s leadoff homer and hitting two batters with pitches — Andrew Kittredge earned the save by retiring Jake Cronenworth on a bouncer to third and Freddy Fermin on a flyball to center field.

Next up for Chicago is a matchup with the NL Central champion Brewers in a compelling Division Series, beginning with Game 1 on Saturday in Milwaukee.

Counsell managed the Brewers for nine years before he was hired by the Cubs in November 2023, and he has been lustily booed in Milwaukee ever since he departed.

It was a disappointing finish for San Diego after it made the postseason for the fourth time in six years. The Padres forced a decisive Game 3 with a 3-0 victory on Wednesday, but their biggest stars flopped in the series finale.

Tatis went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, including a flyball to right that stranded runners on second and third in the fifth. Machado, who hit a two-run homer in Game 2, bounced to shortstop Dansby Swanson for the final out of the eighth, leaving a runner at third.

Darvish also struggled against his former team. The Japanese right-hander was pulled after the first four Cubs batters reached in the second inning, capped by the first of Crow-Armstrong’s three hits.

Jeremiah Estrada came in and issued a bases-loaded walk to Swanson, handing the Cubs a 2-0 lead. Estrada limited the damage by striking out Matt Shaw before Busch bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Taillon allowed two hits and struck out four. Caleb Thielbar got two outs before Daniel Palencia wiggled out of a fifth-inning jam while earning his second win of the series. Drew Pomeranz handled the seventh before Keller worked the eighth.

The Cubs supported their bullpen with another solid day in the field. Swanson made a slick play on Luis Arraez’s leadoff grounder in the sixth, and then turned an inning-ending double play following a walk to Machado.

Crow-Armstrong, who went 0 for 6 with five strikeouts in the first two games of the series, robbed Machado of a hit with a sliding catch in center in the first.

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Chicago went 7-6 against Milwaukee this season, outscoring the Brewers 60-56. The NL Central rivals last played in August, when the Cubs won three times in a five-game series.