Padres’ NL Wild Card Game 2 flips as Cubs go with surprise opener

This series just tilted from a traditional starter’s duel into a chess match. Down 0–1 after a 3–1 loss on September 30, San Diego now has to solve an opener in Game 2 at Wrigley: the Cubs are handing the first inning (and maybe more) to right-hander Andrew Kittredge. It’s a classic postseason gambit — disrupt the Padres’ righty-heavy top of the order early, then hand the ball to a length arm once the matchups reset. Chicago used its bullpen like a scalpel in Game 1, and now they’re doubling down on run prevention by design. 

The move also reframes San Diego’s urgency. Game 1 was there to be taken — the Padres struck first and Nick Pivetta punched out nine, but back-to-back homers flipped it, and Chicago’s relievers closed with ruthless efficiency, retiring the final 12 Padres in order. That’s the blueprint the Cubs want to repeat: win the middle, smother the end. If the Padres are going to extend this to a winner-take-all Game 3, the first three innings in Game 2 become less about pitch counts and more about cracking sequencing and stealing a crooked number before the matchups turn. 

Padres face Andrew Kittredge opener with Shota Imanaga looming

Here’s what’s on the table: Kittredge hasn’t started a game all season (54 relief appearances), and he owns just 15 career starts in nine MLB seasons. He did carve a perfect inning in Tuesday’s win — complete with a strikeout of Fernando Tatis Jr., so the form is fresh. On the year, he posted a 3.40 ERA with a sparkling 0.98 WHIP, numbers that made him a trade-deadline target for Chicago after a midseason deal with Baltimore. If the Cubs get the clean first frame they want, expect a quick hook and a handoff to Shota Imanaga.

The lefty’s surface line ticked up from his sensational rookie year. 3.73 ERA across 25 starts in 2025, but the shape of his profile still screams efficiency: elite strike-throwing, and the ability to rip through lineups once he’s in rhythm. Remember, Imanaga led the National League in strikeout-to-walk ratio last season (6.21), and while that slipped this year, the command remains a problem if you’re chasing. 

All of this sits against the backdrop of Chicago’s injury shuffle. With rookie Cade Horton shelved on the 15-day IL (retro to Sept. 25) due to a rib fracture, the Cubs already pivoted to Matthew Boyd in Game 1 and got exactly what they needed. The opener wrinkle is the next layer: protect the heart of the order, buy Imanaga a cleaner runway, and shorten the game for a bullpen that was nails on September 30.

San Diego’s counter is straightforward, if not simple: treat Kittredge like a late-inning leverage arm, not a feel-out opener. That means swing decisions anchored to the zone, hunting something firm early in counts, and refusing to chase the slider that set up his perfect frame in Game 1. Then, once the lefty enters, the Padres have to stack professional at-bats and force traffic — because Imanaga gets almost unbeatable when he’s pitching with a lead and clean bases. If the first trip through yields pressure instead of passive looks, the Cubs’ sequencing plan starts to wobble. 

The Cubs just turned Game 2 into a timing test. For the Padres, the window is early and the mandate is clear — break the script before the script breaks you. 

More San Diego Padres News and Rumors