The Chicago Cubs, as the No. 5 seed, will face the fourth-seeded San Diego Padres in a best-of-three National League wild-card series beginning Tuesday at Petco Park.
The Cubs finished in second place in the NL Central for the fourth consecutive season — with the Milwaukee Brewers having clinched their fourth straight division crown. In their last playoff appearance, the Cubs beat the Padres last season in a wild-card series at Wrigley Field before losing to the Brewers 3-2 in the division series.
The Cubs went 5-1 against the Padres this season, outscoring them 55-28 — including a 23-3 win on July 1. The only time the Cubs have played a postseason series in San Diego was the 1984 National League Championship Series, in which the Padres won all three home games to come back and win the series 3-2.
No. 5 Cubs at No. 4 Padres
All games on Peacock/NBCSN
- Game 1: Tuesday, 9 p.m.
- Game 2: Wednesday, 9 p.m.
- Game 3: Thursday, TBD, if necessary
Division series
Oct. 3-10, best of five, 2-2-1 format
- No. 1 Brewers vs. Cubs/Padres winner
- No. 2 Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Atlanta Braves/No. 6 seed winner
Championship series
Oct. 11-20, best of seven, 2-3-2 format
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