The San Diego Padres' postseason hopes crumbled Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, as the Chicago Cubs clinched their Wild Card series with a tense 4-3 victory in Game 3. It was a brutal end for a team that entered the playoffs with sky-high expectations, only to falter under the bright lights—or rather, the afternoon sun—of Chicago's ivy-covered walls. The Padres, who had powered through a solid regular season, managed just five runs across the three games, exposing vulnerabilities in their high-octane lineup.
Fernando Tatis Jr., the electric outfielder whose highlights have defined San Diego's resurgence, found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. Batted in during a critical seventh-inning rally, Tatis grounded into a double play that snuffed out any momentum, his .278 average from the regular season offering little solace now. Indeed, the timing couldn't have been worse for the young star, who earlier in the year dazzled with 32 home runs and 98 RBIs. Beside him, Manny Machado struggled to ignite the offense, going 1-for-10 in the series with visible frustration etched on his face after another fruitless at-bat.
Over on the infield, Xander Bogaerts endured what many are calling a pivotal umpire blunder—a called third strike in the ninth that might have changed everything. The shortstop, signed to anchor the Padres' defense, batted .268 this year but couldn't overcome the late miscue. Manager Bob Melvin, in his second year steering the ship, pulled no punches postgame, lamenting the team's inability to score in those pesky day games. "We had chances," he said, shaking his head. "But Wrigley doesn't forgive."
The Cubs, meanwhile, leaned on familiar grit. Yu Darvish, the veteran right-hander now thriving in Chicago after stints elsewhere, tossed 5.2 solid innings in Game 2, striking out seven with his signature splitter. And while Jake Arrieta, the former Cubs ace whose career peaked with a 2015 World Series ring, watches from afar in retirement, his old squad channeled that same bulldog spirit to advance to the NLDS—their first series win since 2017.
However, for the Padres, this loss stings deeper than most. A core built around Tatis, Machado, and Bogaerts was supposed to contend, yet here they are, packing their bags early. Moreover, questions linger about lineup tweaks and bullpen depth heading into the offseason. What adjustments will Melvin demand to turn this disappointment into fuel for 2026?