Padres vs Chicago Cubs Match Player Stats: Recent & All-Time

When the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres meet, the games tend to swing hard in one direction or another. The last few years prove it — blowout wins, tense series-deciders, and a 2025 Wild Card showdown that went down to the final at-bat.

Recent Score: Padres 4-2 Cubs (Apr 16, 2025) · Wild Card Result: Cubs beat Padres 3-1 · Head-to-Head Site: Sports-Reference.com · Injury Note: Cade Horton forearm discomfort

The table below summarizes key team metrics from the 2025 regular season and early 2026 data.

Where is game 3 Cubs vs Padres?

Game 3 of the 2025 NL Wild Card Series took place on October 2, 2025, at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs hosted the decisive contest after the series split the first two games at Petco Park, with San Diego winning Game 2 on October 1. Wrigley Field drew a packed crowd for the winner-take-all matchup.

Venue details

Wrigley Field, located on North Sheffield Avenue in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood, has served as the Cubs’ home ballpark since 1914. For the 2025 Wild Card Game 3, the capacity crowd of 41,297 witnessed the Cubs close out the series with a 3-1 victory.

Stadium capacity and atmosphere

Wrigley Field seats 41,297 for regular games. During the postseason, capacity adjustments and standing-room-only passes can push attendance higher. The Friendly Confines live up to their name during clutch games, with the famous ivy-covered walls and rooftop bleachers adding to the atmosphere.

The implication: For Wild Card Game 3, home-field advantage at Wrigley played a measurable role — the Cubs went 50-31 at home in 2025 compared to 42-39 on the road.

Who is favored to win, Padres or Cubs?

FOX Sports set the Cubs at 55% win probability for the October 2, 2025 Wild Card Game 3, with the Padres at 45%. The odds reflected home-field advantage and the Cubs’ stronger regular-season record of 92-70 versus the Padres’ 90-72. The bookmakers called for a tight contest with the over/under set at 7.5 runs.

Current odds

According to FOX Sports betting analysis (national broadcaster), the Cubs held a clear favorite status heading into Game 3. The prediction of a 4-3 Cubs win proved nearly accurate — the final score was 3-1.

Prediction factors

Several factors drove the odds: the Cubs finished two games ahead of the Padres in the National League standings, Wrigley Field gave Chicago home-field edge, and the Cubs had won 79 of 160 all-time meetings since 1993. The Padres’ strength lay in their bullpen depth, which nearly forced a Game 4.

The catch: The odds favor the Cubs in historical head-to-head terms, but the Padres showed they can flip the script — their 4-2 regular-season win on April 16, 2025, and their Game 2 shutout proved they aren’t an easy out.

Padres vs Chicago Cubs match player stats today

The most recent box score data comes from the April 16, 2025 regular-season game and the 2025 NL Wild Card Series. Each contest had distinct standout performers who shaped the outcomes.

Key performers

Manny Machado delivered the biggest highlight of the Wild Card Series, hitting a two-run homer in Game 2’s 3-0 Padres shutout on October 1, 2025. For the Cubs, D. Palencia’s 1.1 innings of scoreless relief in Game 3 on October 2 proved critical to the series-clinching win.

In the April 16 game, D. Palencia logged 1.2 innings with 1 earned run allowed, while L. Little managed just 0.2 innings and saw his ERA spike to 13.50.

Box score highlights

The April 16, 2025 game ended with the Padres topping the Cubs 4-2. The Wild Card Series box scores show tighter margins: Game 1 Cubs 3-1, Game 2 Padres 3-0, Game 3 Cubs 3-1. In Game 2, the Padres went 7 LOB and 1-11 with runners in scoring position, while Cubs pitcher Peralta recorded 0/1 first-pitch strikes.

What this means: Individual pitching performances shifted the series more than batting averages — the team with the better bullpen game on a given night won each contest.

Padres vs Chicago Cubs match player stats all time

The historical head-to-head record between these teams dates back to 1993, giving us a substantial sample size to assess long-term trends.

Head-to-head records

Since 1993, the Cubs have won 79 games against the Padres out of 160 total meetings, while the Padres have won 77. The Cubs have scored 680 total runs (4.3 per game) versus the Padres’ 659 runs (4.1 per game). This margin of 2 wins and 21 runs in favor of Chicago represents a historically competitive but Cubs-leaning matchup.

The NL Wild Card Series added three more data points: Cubs 3-1 (Sep 30), Padres 3-0 (Oct 1), Cubs 3-1 (Oct 2). The Cubs’ series win pushed their recent head-to-head postseason record to 2-1 over the Padres in 2025.

Career leaders

For current rosters, Manny Machado leads active Padres with a .272 career average and 18 postseason RBIs. Seiya Suzuki has emerged as a key Cubs contributor, posting a .500 average with 1 home run and 1 RBI in the July 1, 2026 matchup preview. Jose Miranda for the Padres logged a .667 average with 2 RBIs in the same July 1 preview game.

The pattern: In recent seasons, the Cubs have edged the Padres in career totals, but current-form players like Machado and Suzuki have shown the ability to swing individual games.

Why did Cade Horton leave the game today?

Reports indicate that Cubs pitching prospect Cade Horton experienced forearm discomfort during a recent appearance, prompting his exit from the contest. Forearm issues in pitchers typically raise concerns about elbow health, as the ulnar collateral ligament sits in that area.

Injury details

According to Flashscore reports, Horton left the game with forearm discomfort in the second inning. The Cubs medical staff removed him as a precaution, which aligns with MLB protocols for pitcher arm health — teams rarely keep pitchers in when forearm tightness surfaces, given Tommy John surgery risk.

Replacement pitcher

The Cubs bullpen absorbed Horton’s early exit, with multiple relievers called upon to cover the remaining innings. Specific replacement assignments varied by game situation, but the Cubs’ organizational depth allowed them to complete the contest without significant erosion of their bullpen arms for future games.

The trade-off: For the Cubs, protecting a promising young arm like Horton takes priority over any single regular-season game. The forearm discomfort, if monitored early, may prevent a longer IL stint — but the uncertainty around his availability for future starts creates rotation questions.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Cubs vs Padres

Three comparison points reveal the shape of this rivalry across different timeframes.

The metrics below compare team performance across seasons and provide context for how each club has performed leading into 2026 matchups.

The pattern: The Cubs have held a narrow but consistent edge in both historical and recent data — two more wins in 160 meetings, a two-game better regular-season record, and superior 2026 early-season offensive numbers. The Padres have shown they can close the gap in individual games, but the Cubs’ depth makes them the slight favorite in any extended series.

2025 NL Wild Card Series Timeline

The three-game series from September 30 to October 2, 2025, delivered a tight narrative that went down to the final out.

The timeline below tracks every Cubs-Padres meeting leading into the 2026 season.

The Cubs advanced to the NL Division Series against the Brewers after taking Game 3. The series showed how quickly momentum can shift — the Padres’ Game 2 shutout looked like a turning point until the Cubs closed it out at Wrigley.

What We Know vs What Remains Unclear

For bettors and fantasy managers, the confirmed facts provide reliable data points. The uncertainty around pitcher health and future venue details means projecting beyond the 2025 data requires caution.

Manny Machado hit a two-run homer, Mason Miller dominated again and the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 3-0.

— AP recap via ESPN

Cubs beat Padres 3-1 to clinch Wild Card Series, advance to NL Division Series against the Brewers.

— ESPN Game Summary

The Padres finished the 2025 regular season at 90-72, two games behind the Cubs’ 92-70 mark. When they met in October, those two wins translated directly into a postseason birth for Chicago. The head-to-head data tells a consistent story: these teams are close enough to produce entertaining games, but the Cubs have found ways to win the matchups that matter most.

For fantasy owners tracking Seiya Suzuki or Jose Miranda, the July 1, 2026 matchup at Wrigley Field looks like a chance for both to pad their stats — the Cubs’ mid-season projections show them at .251 average with 117 runs, while the Padres sit at .232 with 96 runs. That’s a gap worth exploiting in daily lineups.

For Cubs fans, the path forward is straightforward: the team that produced 92 wins in 2025 has the depth to compete for a division title in 2026. For Padres supporters, the Wild Card loss stings, but Machado’s postseason performance and the young talent in the system suggest this rivalry is far from settled.