For as fun and exciting as the Chicago Cubs were during stints of the regular season, they proved to be anything but in their short-lived playoff stint against the San Diego Padres.
The Cubs limped into the NL Wild Card series in San Diego, losing four of their last six games to close out the year, while also carrying a pieced-together stable of pitchers, with the staff being plagued by what felt like countless injuries. It was no secret that if Chicago wanted to find any modicum of success, it would need the bats of Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, and the team’s bats to deliver.
All they managed to deliver was, well, nothing.
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Alex Bregman #3 and Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs stand on deck ahead of the National League Wild Card game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)
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The Padres blanked the Cubs 8-0 in Game 1 of the three-game series, with Chicago managing just three hits. The Cubs were able to finally get one run across the plate in Wednesday’s Game 2 in the fourth inning, but were sent packing after falling 4-1 in a contest that saw the club record five hits.
The Cubs scoring one run across two games after leading MLB in total runs during the regular season by a considerable margin of 18 may feel like a bit of a shock, but not after taking one quick glance at the box scores.
Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs reacts after striking out against the San Diego Padres in the eighth inning during game one of the National League Wild Card Series at Petco Park on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty Images)
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Crow-Armstrong, who could be the unanimous NL MVP, went 0-for-7 across the two games against San Diego, striking out four times in the process. Bregman, the veteran leader in the clubhouse, went 0-for-8 with four strikeouts as well.
Going two consecutive games without a base knock is by no means a rare occurrence in Major League Baseball. With the Cubs being incredibly reliant on the bats of Bregman and PCA, and the situation being just a three-game series, those two being blanked is something that simply could not happen if Chicago wanted to have any chance at advancing.
Manager Craig Counsell #11 of the Chicago Cubs leaves the field during the game between the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Wednesday, September 23, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Isaac Wasserman/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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The Cubs’ offense no-showing in San Diego will garner plenty of buzz, but the truth of the matter is that the club did not have anything close to enough firepower in its bullpen to present any belief that a World Series run was on the table.
Chicago entered the postseason with three starting pitchers and another seven relievers on the injured list. The writing was very clearly on the wall that the Cubs’ fun run, which included a historic campaign from Crow-Armstrong, was due to come to an aggressive halt.
