The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres meet at Petco Park on September 30, 2026 for NL Wild Card Series Game 2 — best-of-three. First pitch is set for 10:00 p.m. ET. The Padres won Game 1 and can close out the series at home tonight; Chicago has to win to stay alive and force a decisive Game 3.
| Game | Chicago Cubs vs. San Diego Padres |
| League | MLB |
| Date | September 30, 2026 |
| First Pitch | 10:00 p.m. ET |
| Venue | Petco Park — San Diego, CA |
| Round | NL Wild Card Series · Game 2 (best-of-3) |
How to Watch
⚠️ Exclusive broadcast: This game airs on NBC / Peacock / NBCSN (Sunday Night Baseball). It is not available on MLB.TV — national exclusive broadcasts are not part of that package.
- United States: NBC / Peacock / NBCSN (English) · Universo / Peacock via Telemundo Deportes (Spanish, Sunday Night Baseball) · FOX Deportes (Spanish simulcast)
- Chicago Cubs local: Marquee Sports Network / MARQ+ · streaming on the Marquee app
- San Diego Padres local: SDPA (MLB Local Media) · over-the-air on KFMB 8.1/8.2 · streaming on PADRES.TV · available blackout-free in the MLB app locally
- 🇻🇪 Venezuela: Televén (free, weekends) · 1BASEBALL (up to 3 games/day, via Simple, Inter, NetUno GO) · ByM Sport (6 days/week) · IVC · ESPN · Disney+
- 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic: Teleantillas Canal 10 (free, 7 games/week — 7th consecutive year, full postseason coverage) · ESPN · 1BASEBALL via Altice · FOX / FS1 / FS2 / FOX Deportes · teleantillas.com.do (free) · MLB.TV
- 🇵🇷 Puerto Rico: WAPA Deportes (free) · MLB.TV
- 🇲🇽 Mexico: Canal 5 · NU9VE (Canal 9) · ESPN · TUDN · Canal FOX · Disney+
MLB.TV note: MLB.TV is an out-of-market product. National exclusive games (NBC/Peacock, Netflix, Apple TV+, FOX, ESPN) are not included — this is not a blackout, they simply aren’t part of the package. In-market local streaming is sold separately inside the MLB app (~$19.99/month or ~$99.99/season) and is blackout-free locally for 22 of 30 clubs.
Series Standing
- Chicago Cubs: 0-1
- San Diego Padres: 1-0
Starting Pitchers
- Cubs — Kevin Gausman (RHP): 9-12, 4.51 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 184 strikeouts in 177.2 innings
- Padres — Nick Pivetta (RHP): 3-2, 2.86 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 42 strikeouts in 34.2 innings
Keys to the Game
The pitching matchup leans San Diego’s way. Nick Pivetta has been sharp — a 2.86 ERA and 1.01 WHIP speak for themselves. Kevin Gausman has the tougher task: his 4.51 ERA and 1.27 WHIP put him at a statistical disadvantage against a Padres team that already took Game 1. Chicago needs a strong outing from Gausman just to get to tomorrow.
The Padres are one win away from advancing. The Cubs are one loss away from going home. It doesn’t get much simpler — or higher-stakes — than that.
This article will be updated after the final out with the result, key plays, and video highlights.
