NL Wild Card: Final score and recap as the Padres push the Chicago Cubs to the brink
Cubs fans gear up for potential series-clinching game against Padres
Chicago Cubs fans are already flocking to Wrigleyville ahead of their second Wildcard game against the San Diego Padres.
The Chicago Cubs have their eyes on the NL Divisional round.
After beating the San Diego Padres 3-1 on Tuesday, they return to Wrigley Field with a chance to clinch the Wild Card series and move on in the MLB postseason.
Follow along here for live updates from Wrigley Field.
Cubs vs. Padres: Live score and updates
FINAL: Padres 3, Cubs 0
Ninth Inning
Bottom of the ninth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
The last chance for the Cubs. Happ flies out, Tucker singled but Suzuki hit into a double play.
Top of the ninth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
Michael Soroka made it so there weren't any insurance runs. That set the Cubs up for one last comeback attempt.
Eighth Inning
Bottom of the eighth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
Mason Miller finally exited the game, but not after mowing down the Cubs' lineup. He left the game after hitting Michael Busch with a pitch.
Cease pitched 3.2 innings and struck out five batters. Miller pitched 1.2 innings and struck out five. Tatis made a fantastic catch to save a multi-base hit.
Top of the eighth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
The Padres are slumping now against the Cubs' bullpen, which has been impressive for a second day in a row.
Seventh Inning
Bottom of the seventh - Padres 3, Cubs 0
The Cubs go down quickly and in order, and they're running out of chances on offense.
So far, the Cubs have just recorded three hits.
Top of the seventh - Padres 3, Cubs 0
The Padres go down without adding any more damage
Sixth inning
Bottom of the sixth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
It was another quick inning for the Cubs. Nico Hoerner drilled a ground ball up the middle that was destined to land in centerfield, but it careened off Morejon's foot.
It's been that kind of day for the Cubs' offense.
Top of the sixth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
Thielbar pitched well in relief, and didn't allow a run. Although, Xander Bogearts and O'Hearn reached on an infield single and a walk, respectively.
Fifth Inning
Bottom of the fifth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
The Cubs are still mired in a rut. They went down in order against Morejon to end the inning.
Now, Caleb Theilbar has relieved Imanaga.
Top of the fifth - Padres 3, Cubs 0
The Padres finally broke through.
Manny Machado nailed a two-run home run off Imanaga that scored Tatis and just delivered a gut punch to the Cubs. Now, the pressure is on a Cubs' offense that has been strug
Fourth Inning
Bottom of the fourth - Padres 1, Cubs 0
Seiya Suzuki doubled to put a runner in scoring position, and that was all for Dylan Cease. Adrian Morejon replaced him, and got Pete Crow-Armstrong to ground out to end the inning.
Top of the fourth - Padres 1, Cubs 0
Jackson Merrill walked and Ryan O'Hearn singled to get on base, but Imanaga was able to limit the damage from there.
Third Inning
Bottom of the third - Padres 1, Cubs 0
Dansby Swanson led off the inning with a single, but the back end and front of the Cubs' order couldn't bring Swanson home.
Top of the third - Padres 1, Cubs 0
Freddy Fermin doubled as the lead-off hitter, but Imanaga got out of the inning without any other damage.
Second Inning
Bottom of the second - Padres 1, Cubs 0
The Cubs went down in order as Cease is starting to settle in.
He got Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong to strike out in the bottom half as his stuff is shining at Wrigley Field. Crow-Armstrong has struck out in all four of his at-bats in the NL Wild Card round.
Top of the second - Padres 1, Cubs 0
Shota Imanaga came in after one inning from Kittredge.
Imanaga got the Padres to go down in order. Kittredge got charged with the lone run in the first inning on the sacrifice fly.
First Inning
Bottom of the first - Padres 1, Cubs 0
The Cubs got a runner on, as Nico Hoerner singled the first hit of the game for the Cubs. That was all they'd get.
Top of the first - Padres 1, Cubs 0
Andrew Kittredge got into some early trouble with two singles to open the game.
He was able to get out of it with a strikeout and two fly balls, but the first pop fly to right scored Fernando Tatis Jr.
Today's starting pitchers
Padres: Dylan Cease
Cubs: Andrew Kittredge
Pregame - Cubs play coy with pitching probables
The Cubs will start bullpen arm Andrew Kittredge, who was a trade-deadline acquision, on Wednesday against the Padres. Cubs manager Craig Counsell stressed whatever comes after Kittredge starts will be determined later, but the Cubs will be ready.
"We’re gonna be prepared for whatever happens next," Counsell said.
It was expected that Kittredge would start and set the table as an opener for Shota Imanaga. However, Counsell played coy during he pregame press conference.
"We’ll make sure whoever comes into the game is ready to pitch," he said.
Dylan Cease gears up to face the team that drafted him
The Padres are on the brink of elimination. Starting pitcher Dylan Cease can postpone any postseason plans with a stellar outing on Wednesday.
That would mean coming full circle, and pitching in a postseason game at Wrigley Field against the Cubs' organization that drafted him with the idea he'd a postseason pitcher one day.
"Things like that happened in baseball," Cease said Tuesday.
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