🔥 Padres on the Brink: Fall 3-1 to Cubs in Wild Card Game 1 ⚾🐻
The San Diego Padres opened their Wild Card series with high hopes, but Tuesday night ended with disappointment as they dropped Game 1 to the Chicago Cubs, 3-1, putting them one loss away from elimination.
🌟 Strong Start from Nick Pivetta
For the first four innings, Padres ace Nick Pivetta looked untouchable. He allowed just one hit and retired 11 straight Cubs, while back-to-back doubles from Jackson Merrill and Xander Bogaerts gave San Diego an early 1-0 lead in the second inning.
But everything changed in the fifth. 💥
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Seiya Suzuki launched a 112.2 mph rocket, 424 feet to left-center to tie the game.
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Just one pitch later, Carson Kelly followed with another blast, suddenly flipping the score to 2-1 Cubs.
💪 Cubs’ Bullpen Slams the Door
Chicago starter Matthew Boyd kept the Padres in check before handing the ball to a dominant bullpen:
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Daniel Palencia struck out two and retired five straight.
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Drew Pomeranz, the former Padre, tossed a perfect 7th.
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Andrew Kittredge handled the 8th with ease.
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And in the 9th, Brad Keller slammed the door shut, retiring Machado, Merrill, and Bogaerts in order.
Meanwhile, San Diego’s bullpen arms Adrian Morejon and Mason Miller kept it close — Miller even struck out the side on 13 pitches 🔥 — but a Dansby Swanson single and a costly wild pitch in the 8th allowed Chicago to tack on a critical insurance run.
📅 What’s Next?
The Padres’ season comes down to Game 2.
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🆚 Cubs vs. Padres
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⏰ Wednesday, 12:08 p.m. PT
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⚾ Starter: Dylan Cease takes the mound for San Diego in a win-or-go-home showdown.
👉 Can the Padres bounce back and force a decisive Game 3, or will the Cubs punch their ticket to the next round? Stay tuned — October drama is just heating up! 🍂🔥