The Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres are set to square off in a winner-take-all Game 3 on Thursday at Wrigley Field.
The game will be the fourth winner-take-all playoff game played at the Friendly Confines in its history, and the Cubs will be looking to bounce back after losing Game 2 by a score of 3-0 on Wednesday afternoon.
Here is what we know about the game so far.
What time will the game start?
The start time for Game 3 has not yet been decided. With the New York Yankees extending their series against the Boston Red Sox, there are two different times at which the game could start:
2:08 p.m.: This will be the start time if the Cincinnati Reds extend their series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday night.
4:08 p.m.: This will be the start time if the Dodgers finish their series against the Reds.
Who are the starting pitchers?
Former Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish is set to get the ball for the Padres, while Jameson Taillon will start Game 3 for the North Siders.
Darvish posted a 5-5 record and a 5.38 ERA in 15 starts this season, striking out 68 batters in 72 innings of work.
Darvish has pitched against the Cubs in the playoffs before, throwing 6.1 innings of one-run ball in Game 3 of the 2017 National League Championship Series.
In five starts for the Padres against the Cubs since a 2021 trade sent him to San Diego, Darvish has a record of 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA, with 33 strikeouts in 30 innings.
Taillon has had a strong finish to the season after dealing with injury, posting an overall record of 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA in 23 starts with the Cubs. Thursday will mark his third playoff appearance, having given up three earned runs in 4.1 innings with the Yankees.
How have the Cubs fared in winner-take-all games at Wrigley Field?
This will mark the fourth time in Cubs history that they’ve played a game at Wrigley Field in which both teams were at risk of elimination.
The Cubs are 0-3 in those games, losing Game 7 of the 1945 World Series against the Detroit Tigers, Game 7 of the 2003 National League Championship Series against the Florida Marlins, and the 2018 National League Wild Card Game against the Colorado Rockies.
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not
For the Cubs, Seiya Suzuki has a pair of extra-base hits in the series, including a double in Wednesday’s loss. Nico Hoerner also has three hits so far.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is decidedly not hot, having gone 0-for-6 with five strikeouts so far in the series. Ian Happ hasn’t been much better, going 0-for-8 with five strikeouts during the series.
No Cubs pitcher appeared in both games, though the Cubs’ bullpen has given up one run in 9.2 innings, with Andrew Kittredge giving up a run as the opener in Wednesday’s loss.
Daniel Palencia had a pair of strikeouts in Game 1 on Tuesday, while Colin Rea had one hit allowed and one strikeout in 1.2 innings Wednesday.
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