Chicago travels to San Diego for a Wild Card rematch with plenty of unfinished business

Sports Desk

SAN DIEGO — One year after the Chicago Cubs ended the San Diego Padres’ season in a dramatic three-game Wild Card Series, the two clubs are back for another October showdown.

This time, however, the setting is different.

The Padres will have home-field advantage at Petco Park when the best-of-three National League Wild Card Series begins Tuesday night. Chicago enters as the No. 5 seed, while San Diego is the No. 4 seed after finishing the regular season 90-72.

And there is plenty of history between these two teams.

The Cubs won last year's Wild Card Series, 2-1, but this year's Padres club enters the postseason playing some of its best baseball of the season. San Diego finished the regular season on a strong run and has won 16 of its last 19 games.

Chicago's big weapon

The Cubs bring one of the National League's most productive offenses into the series.

Chicago led Major League Baseball in runs, RBIs, walks, slugging percentage and OPS during the regular season, while also hitting 220 home runs. That is an offense capable of putting pressure on a pitching staff from the first inning through the ninth.

One of the biggest stories has been Pete Crow-Armstrong.

The young center fielder finished the season with 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases, and his September production helped make him one of the most exciting players entering October.

Alex Bregman also enters the postseason in strong form. He posted a .913 OPS in September and brings a decade of postseason experience into another October run.

The Padres have caught fire

San Diego has a different kind of advantage: momentum.

The Padres' offense, which struggled badly during parts of the first half, has turned around dramatically. Since the beginning of September, San Diego has ranked among baseball's best offenses by wRC+, and the club has received major contributions from stars such as Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado.

The Padres also have the luxury of playing at home.

San Diego's bullpen will be especially important in a short series. Mason Miller is expected to handle the ninth inning, with Adrian Morejon, Yuki Matsui, Bradgley Rodriguez and others available to cover the late innings.

Pitching could decide everything

Chicago has announced Matthew Boyd as its Game 1 starter. Boyd finished the regular season 10-5 with a 3.91 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 126⅔ innings.

The Cubs also have Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon among the pitchers who could play important roles, while the bullpen remains one of the questions surrounding Chicago entering the series.

San Diego, meanwhile, has Michael King among its key starting pitchers and has built a bullpen capable of shortening games once the starters depart.

A series that could go either way

There is an intriguing wrinkle in this matchup: Chicago went 5-1 against San Diego during the regular season, including a three-game sweep at Wrigley Field. But those games mean considerably less now that the calendar has turned to October.

The Cubs have the explosive offense and outstanding defense. The Padres have home-field advantage, a hot lineup and a bullpen they can deploy aggressively.

And perhaps most importantly, neither team has forgotten what happened last October.

The Cubs knocked the Padres out a year ago.

Now San Diego gets its chance to write a different ending.

Game 2 is Wednesday, September 30, at 10 p.m. ET from Petco Park. If necessary, Game 3 will be played Thursday, October 1.