MLB Baseball
2026-09-30 - Chicago Cubs at San Diego Padres
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : MLB Playoff Wild Card Game 2
Wednesday 30th September 2026 - Scheduled 10pm EST
3am (British Time)
Preview
Last year the Chicago Cubs edged past the San Diego Padres in three tight games in the Wild Card Round of the Playoffs, but they have it all to do in order to cool down the hot hosts in 2026. Game 1 ended in a blowout in favour of the San Diego Padres, who have been one of the hottest teams in Baseball since the All Star Break, and the home team are now a single win away from moving through to the National League Divisional Round.
Adjustments are needed by teams in any Playoff Series, but the Cubs are under pressure to try and make an early impact in Game 2 and avoid having to deal with the rested and dangerous arms that San Diego can deploy out of the bullpen.
Earning that fast start will not be easy as the Cubs prepare to face Nick Pivetta who has a 3-2 record and 2.86 ERA, but who also was hit hard by injury and made just eight regular season starts. He returned from a long stint on the sidelines to make four starts in September and Nick Pivetta put together a 2-0 record and 1.45 ERA, which has given the veteran some real confidence to take into the Playoffs.
Despite the relatively long career, Nick Pivetta was only pitching in the post-season for the second season when taking part last year. He gave up two runs in 5 Innings thrown against the Chicago Cubs and Nick Pivetta had to absorb the decision loss after the Padres failed to back him up as hoped.
A similar performance may be rewarded with a better result if the Padres can continue finding the hits that helped them blow past the Chicago Cubs in Game 1.
It does put some pressure on Kevin Gausman, despite his experience, and who had a 4-2 record with a 4.83 ERA in nine starts with the Chicago Cubs after arriving in a trade from the Toronto Blue Jays. He had been struggling with the Blue Jays to find the consistency expected, but Kevin Gausman did start six games for Toronto as they reached the World Series in 2025 and had a 2.93 ERA across those.
This is the kind of experience that the Cubs will be hoping can help them in what is a pressurised situation, but Kevin Gausman was operating with a 5.27 ERA in his last five starts for Chicago in this regular season. The bullpen are likely going to be ready to step in as soon as they are needed in case Kevin Gausman gets into early trouble spots.
Prediction
The Chicago Cubs had one of the strongest batting lineups in the Major League this season, but they struggled in Game 1 and Nick Pivetta has to believe he can get on top of them again.
This would give the San Diego Padres a significant edge with the bullpen ready to put an exclamation point on this Wild Card Series and the home team are capable of securing a spot in the Divisional Round without needing to host a deciding Game 3.
The Pick :
San Diego Padres 4-2 Chicago Cubs
