The Phillies, Astros, Red Sox, and Cubs are all facing down the barrel, needing a massive win on Wednesday just to stay alive in their best-of-three Wild Card Series. It’s win-or-go-home for four teams, after Tuesday’s action put the Braves, White Sox, Yankees, and Padres a single victory away from punching their tickets to the Division Series. This is the crunch time, plain and simple.
History Is NOT On Their Side: The Uphill Battle for Game 1 Losers
Look, we all know winning Game 1 is a HUGE deal. Since this current postseason format kicked off in 2022, there’s only been one time in 16 attempts that a Game 1 loser actually rallied to win the Wild Card Series. That was last year, when the Yankees pulled it off against the Red Sox, thanks mostly to Cam Schlittler’s unreal Game 3 performance. Only four other times did a Game 1 loser even force a Game 3. So, yeah, the odds are stacked against Philly, Houston, Boston, and Chicago. But that’s why they play the games, right? Anything can happen, and we’re about to find out if history is gonna get bucked.
Cubs’ Offense Has to WAKE UP After Brutal Game 1
Right now, the Chicago Cubs are the team with the best shot to flip the script, despite getting absolutely shelled in Game 1. Michael King went ace-grade for the Padres, which meant San Diego barely had to tap into their deep bullpen of high-leverage relievers. And for Game 2? Nick Pivetta has been lights-out for the Padres since coming back from those elbow issues. But hold up, don’t bury the Cubs just yet. When you look at the whole picture, the Cubs are arguably the better squad in this series. Yeah, the Padres finished a couple games up in the standings. But dive deeper, and you’ll see the Cubs outscored opponents by a ridiculous 147 runs during the regular season, which was the third-best run differential in all of MLB! The Padres? A way more modest 41 runs. Oh, and the Cubs did that against a tougher schedule, too.
This team is fueled by their offense, which led the entire league in OPS during the regular season. Sure, hitter-friendly Wrigley Field helps, but these guys were second in MLB in OPS on the road. They can hit anywhere! Plus, they were third among all 30 MLB teams in OPS against right-handed pitchers, and guess who’s on the mound for the Padres on Wednesday? Pivetta, a righty. So, while King shut them down in Game 1, this Cubs lineup is absolutely capable of exploding at any second. They HAVE to make it happen Wednesday. Their season depends on it.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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