The Padres Pre-Wildcard Roundup

Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images

September 29, 2025

It’s been another long season for the San Diego Padres, but the efforts of the franchise have brought them to the postseason for a second straight year . Now, they’re gearing up to play the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field for the National League Wildcard series.

The Padres found themselves unable to take the division title away from the reigning World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. That said, the Padres spent most of the season in the running for a wildcard spot alongside the Cubs.

After clinching a postseason berth, their final mission was to try and gain home field advantage against their would-be rival, the Cubs. A winning or at least a tying record between both clubs would guarantee home field advantage, as the Friars beat the Cubs on tiebreakers. However, despite winning four of their five last games after clinching, the Cubs heated up and got out of range of a tie.

With all that said and done, what’s left for the Friars before the big game on September 30th?

Who’s Starting Game One For the Padres?

Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease have been named starters for the Padres for games one and two, respectively. If the clubs go into a third game, Yu Darvish will start for the Padres.

Additionally, manager Mike Shildt said that the Padres will be bringing all five starters to the short series. “Whoever’s been in our rotation that’s not going to start a game will be in the bullpen,” Shildt said

Michael King and Randy Vazquez have recent bullpen experience and will likely slide back into their old roles as relievers, capitalizing on an already elite bullpen that ranks second in the majors and first in the NL.

With the rules and scheduling of the postseason being so different, there are a million different scenarios Shildt has to account for when building the postseason roster. Not much will likely be asked of Padres’ starting pitching come game time, given the reliability of relievers like Mason Miller, Robert Suarez, Adrian Morejon and Jeremiah Estrada. That said, Pivetta was always the natural pick for Game One of the wildcard series.

Pivetta has by far been the best part of the Padres’ starting rotation since the season began. He’s also putting up some of the best numbers of his entire career

He ends the regular season with a 13–5 record and a 2.87 ERA. Across his 181 2/3 innings this year, he’s struck out a career high 190 men.

At Petco Park, in particular, Pivetta has had astounding success. In the National League, Pivetta is a top five pitcher in wins and ERA amongst qualified players at home. However, he stands alone at the top in WHIP and BAA.

While away, Pivetta is still a strong choice. He ranked top 15 amongst qualified pitchers in the National League in most categories.

What Will the Padres’ Offense Look Like?

Recent injuries to outfielder Ramon Laureano and catcher Elias Diaz leave the Padres’ starting lineup in a unique spot. Gavin Sheets is the likely replacement for Laureano, given his career numbers as a Padre. In addition, Bryce Johnson might also see some playing time given his recent contributions to the club.

The infield leaves fewer questions, with a majority of the positions filled. The return of Xander Bogaerts from the IL also means Ryan O’Hearn no longer has to fill in at first base, reinstating the position back to Luis Arraez.

The only question mark left is who may have to fill the role of backup catcher if Diaz is unavailable for Game One. Nick Pivetta has only ever had Diaz as his catcher outside of a third of an inning.

According to Dennis Lin, the potential solution would be bringing back Martin Maldonado. Maldonado played 64 games with the Padres this season but was released shortly after the acquisition of Freddy Fermin at the trade deadline. That said, former Padres catcher Luis Campusano also traveled with the team to Chicago.