chicago_suntimes
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Chicago Cubs now have clarity on their National League wild-card opponent and the location for their upcoming series.
San Diego secured the top wild-card position (No. 4 seed) in the NL playoffs with a late victory over Arizona on Saturday. Combined with Philadelphia's loss to Tampa Bay, the results locked Chicago into the second wild-card spot (No. 5 seed), sending the Cubs to San Diego for a best-of-three series that begins Tuesday.
Although the Cubs held the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Padres, they can no longer overtake them in the standings. Chicago trails San Diego by two games with just one regular-season contest remaining: a weather-adjusted matchup against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday in St. Petersburg.
Because the Cubs own the tiebreaker over the Phillies, they have secured the No. 5 seed even if both teams finish with identical records. Philadelphia, meanwhile, has not yet guaranteed a playoff berth. Arizona could catch the Phillies with a win over San Diego on Sunday if Philadelphia loses again, and the Diamondbacks would claim the No. 6 seed via a tiebreaker.
With no seeding or home-field advantage at stake on Sunday, the Cubs can begin preparations for their series against the Padres — the same club they defeated in the wild-card round a year ago. That previous series, however, took place at Wrigley Field.
During the regular season, Chicago won five of six meetings against San Diego, including a 23-3 rout in their most recent matchup. In that game, the Cubs set a record with eight home runs, three of which came from Dansby Swanson, who drove in eight runs by himself.
Originally reported by chicago_suntimes.