Pre-Kids: Cubs vs. Padres (9:00 a.m. CT) – Lineups, broadcast information, discussion thread

CUBS RANGE — All this waiting, all these games. The winning streaks, the losing streaks, the mountains of injuries, the MVP campaign, the breakouts, the disappointments… it all leads up to tonight. So how are we feeling, Cubs fans? Nervous? Ready to go? Annoyed that this game starts at 9:00 p.m. CT? “Yes” to all, I would bet.

The Cubs’ playoff run this year matches last season almost exactly: the Cubs start with the Padres in the Wild Card round (this time, in San Diego) while the Brewers wait patiently for the NLDS. Matthew Boyd will take the mound for the Cubs in Game 1 tonight, and he’ll face Padres right-hander Michael King.

Here’s a look at the Cubs’ lineup for Game 1 of the 2026 NL Wild Card Series between the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres.

Chicago Cubs roster:

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Alex Bregman, DH
3. Michael Busch, 1B
4. Seiya Suzuki, RF
5. Ian Happ, L.F.
6. Nico Hoerner, 2B
7. Pedro Ramirez, 3B
8. Carson Kelly, C.
9. Dansby Swanson, S.S.

The only two Cubs players with more than a few at-bats against Michael King are Alex Bregman (7-8, two 2B, 3BB, K) and Michael Conforto (1-11, HR, 3BB, 2K). The former is in the Cubs lineup tonight, although at DH (as expected), not at third base. The latter is on the bench.

Bregman, of course, is the DH after suffering several facial fractures about, oh… nine days ago. The team would be better with Bregman at third base (more the one Craig Counsell preferred at DH), but I’m just happy Bregman is good enough to start. At this point, considering his incredible second half, it feels like a huge win. And remember, despite his injury, Bregman had a MASSIVE day at the plate on the final day of the regular season.

Beyond that, Michael Busch moved up to third, with Suzuki cleaning up. With a right-hander on the mound, Ian Happ is in left field. If and when the Cubs face a lefty in the postseason, Tyrone Taylor will be the starter. And, indeed, if the Padres bring in a lefty at some point for the Busch-Suzuki-Happ part of the lineup, you could see Taylor pinch-hitting anyway. Perhaps the same goes for Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez.

Carson Kelly is the man behind the plate (he might start all of these games), and Dansby Swanson flips the lineup.

This series is the first two-win series, so it’s extremely important to win tonight. And to that end, the Cubs can’t enter the late inning with a deficit, because the Padres’ bullpen, even with some injuries, is elite.

Come on Cub Scouts.

San Diego Padres roster:

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., RF
2. Samad Taylor, L.F.
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Ty France, 1B
5. Jackson Merrill, C.F.
6. Austin Hays, DH
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Jake Cronenworth, 2B
9. Luis Campusano, C.

Pitch match:

Chicago Cubs: Matthew Boyd, LHP

Matthew Boyd’s season has been a bit chaotic. He began the year as the Cubs’ Opening Day starter, but multiple injuries (including knee surgery) derailed the entire first half of his season. But since returning to the Cubs on June 25, Boyd has compiled a 3.42 ERA over 17 starts and 102.2 IP. His strikeout rate over this span has been extremely low, while his walk rate has been about average. But the overall hard contact rate has been solid, and he’s not giving up a ton of barrels.

Perhaps more importantly, Boyd finished the season on a high note. Over his last six starts, Boyd has allowed just 13 earned runs (3.28 ERA) with an elite barrel rate of 1.9% and an above-average ground ball rate of 45%. His last start of the year, against the Marlins, was one of his best this season: 7.0 IP, 5H, 1ER, 2BB, 3K (52.4 GB%, no barrels).

Boyd has already faced the Padres twice this season, both a while ago. Here is how these two games played out:

@SDP: 4.0 IP, 8H, 5ER, 2BB, 4K
against SDP: 5.0 IP, 8H, 3ER, 0BB, 2K

Not much success there, obviously, but those starts happened in April and June.

The fact that the Padres have been weaker against left-handed pitchers this season than against right-handers works in Boyd’s favor. Indeed, that reality, along with the fact that Boyd is on regular rest tonight, is likely what led to Craig Counsell’s decision to roll with Boyd in Game 1. Well, that and the fact that all of the Cubs’ other options may be just as flawed (Gausman may still be injured, Holmes has struggled, Imanaga is giving up home runs, Peterson doesn’t seem to have confidence to start).

However, I think we’ll see another Cubs starter potentially follow Matthew Boyd tonight. Specifically, I don’t think Boyd will order more than twice unless he’s REALLY REALLY REALLY cooking. And even then…I’m just not sure the Cubs will wait. Craig Counsell would rather be too early than too late. And with so many other starters available, including other lefties like Shota Imanaga and David Peterson, it could be 3-4 innings max for Boyd tonight.

Beyond that, you can expect to see Ryan Rolison, Daniel Palencia, Jacob Webb and Ryan Zeferjahn getting the most critical spots. If you’re seeing someone else… something may have already gone wrong.

San Diego Padres: Michael King, HR

Michael King’s second season in San Diego, and first under his new contract, went very, very well: 32 starts, 185.0 IP, 3.21 ERA. The peripherals weren’t as strong (4.40 xERA, 4.13 FIP), but the results spoke for themselves.

Notably, King finished his season with a bit of a bang against the Dodgers (4.0 IP, 6H, 5ER, 2BB, 5K), but it’s never easy to face the Dodgers in Los Angeles, and this was otherwise by far his worst start to a season. I wasn’t really expecting that tonight in San Diego.

Perhaps more to the point, if last year is any guide, I wouldn’t expect the Padres to leave him around long enough for something like that to happen. While the Cubs have other starters available to fill out the first innings, the Padres have arguably one of the best bullpens in baseball. And we’ll see a HEAVY dose of these guns, including Mason Miller, this week. No doubt about it.

For his career, King is a neutral right-hander, with reverse splits this season. He has yet to face the Cubs this year.

Broadcast information:

• First pitch: 9:00 p.m. CT
• How to watch Cubs game of the day: NBCSN, Peacock
• How to listen to today’s Cubs game: 104.3 The partition
• Match : Chicago Cubs (0-0) vs. San Diego Padres (0-0)

Cubs vs. Padres – Top Injuries:

Cubs vs. Padres – Petco Park Weather Report

Location: San Diego, California
Temperature: 73 degrees
Wind: Breath towards the center, weak