San Diego Padres play-by-play radio broadcaster Jesse Agler said late in the game when Mason Miller and Robert Suarez combined to pitch the final three innings, “you worry about tomorrow, tomorrow because
if you don’t get through today, there is no tomorrow.”
Manny Machado, Dylan Cease and the rest of the Padres pitching staff ensured there will be a tomorrow as San Diego evened the NL Wild Card Series, 1-1, with a 3-0 win over the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, Wednesday.
Cease started Game 2 for the Padres and there was some debate amongst the Friar Faithful if that was the right call. The other options were Michael King and Yu Darvish. Cease did not have his typical season and struggled on the road in 2025, but he delivered a stellar start to extend the season for San Diego.
Cease only worked 3 2/3 innings, but that was all the Padres needed. He held the Cubs off the scoreboard and the base paths, allowing three of the Cubs’ four hits and a walk with five strikeouts.
The Padres gave Cease an early lead with a run in the top of the first inning. Fernando Tatis Jr. and Luis Arraez both singled and pulled off a double steal of second and third with one out. Jackson Merrill hit a deep fly ball to right field that allowed Tatis Jr. to score and give San Diego a 1-0 lead.
The Padres added on in the top of the fifth inning when Machado announced his postseason presence with a two-run home run to left field off Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga to put San Diego ahead, 3-0.
Adrian Morejon pitched 2 1/3 hitless innings in relief of Cease and turned the ball over to Mason Miller in the seventh. Miller struck out all three batters in the seventh and the first two batters of the eighth before he hit Michael Busch with a pitch and was replaced by Robert Suarez.
Suarez got the final out of the eighth and then got through the ninth with the help of a game-ending double play turned by Xander Bogaerts and Jake Cronenworth. Perhaps the most impressive part of the play was that Seiya Suzuki, the hottest hitter for the Cubs, was the batter who hit into the double play.
The Padres will play a series deciding Game 3 at Wrigley Field, Thursday with the start time to be determined. Gaslamp Ball will provide the game time when it is announced.
