SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 4-1 on Wednesday, September 30, completing a two-game sweep of their National League Wild Card Series and advancing to face the Milwaukee Brewers.
Pinch hitter Gavin Sheets supplied the decisive swing with a two-run home run. San Diego’s bullpen then controlled the game, allowing two hits over 5 2/3 scoreless innings after starter Nick Pivetta left in the fourth.
Relievers protect the lead
Bradgley Rodriguez recorded five outs in his postseason debut, Jason Adam worked a clean sixth inning, Adrian Morejon pitched two innings and Mason Miller earned his first career playoff save. Five Padres pitchers combined to hold Chicago to five hits.
Xander Bogaerts had two hits and drove in a run. Jackson Merrill and Ty France each collected two hits and scored once. The Padres’ depth complemented a pitching plan that kept two of Chicago’s most dangerous hitters quiet: Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman each went 0 for 4 in Game 2 and finished a combined 0 for 15 in the series.
Nico Hoerner produced two hits for the Cubs and drove in their only run of the series. Chicago had led Major League Baseball with 850 regular-season runs, but it could not carry that offense into the two games at Petco Park.
A short series, a quick turnaround
San Diego won the opener 8-0 before taking Game 2, ending the best-of-three series without needing a decisive third game. The fourth-seeded Padres now travel to Milwaukee for a best-of-five National League Division Series beginning Saturday.
The Padres went 4-2 against the Brewers during the regular season, but manager Craig Stammen cautioned that regular-season results do not settle a postseason series. San Diego had gone 1-5 against Chicago before eliminating the Cubs in two games.
The sweep is one of several rapid postseason advances. In the American League, the New York Yankees also completed a Wild Card sweep.
Featured image: Derek Story/Unsplash. The stock photograph illustrates a baseball stadium and does not depict this game.
Sources
- Reuters/Field Level Media game report, published October 1, 2026
- San Diego Padres official postseason coverage, accessed October 1, 2026