By Salem Chicago News Staff
CHICAGO — The Cubs hold positional advantages at several spots as they prepare to face the Padres in the NL Wild Card Series beginning Tuesday at Petco Park, according to a position-by-position breakdown published Sunday by MLB.com.
The analysis gives the Cubs the edge at five positions, the Padres the advantage at three and calls one a toss-up.
Center field presents the widest gap. Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the majors with 45 home runs to go with 41 stolen bases and elite outfield defense. The gap between Crow-Armstrong and baseball’s next-best players, according to the analysis, is the largest since Mickey Mantle’s edge over the field in 1956.
The Cubs also hold advantages at second base, where Nico Hoerner batted .419 across two playoff series last year, and at shortstop, where Dansby Swanson provides more defensive range than San Diego’s Xander Bogaerts. Third base tilts toward the Cubs as well. Alex Bregman went 4-for-4 with two home runs Sunday in his second game back from facial fractures.
The Padres counter with advantages at first base, right field and catcher. Ty France signed a minor league deal in the offseason but has been a top-10 NL hitter this year, batting .321 with a .908 OPS in the second half. Fernando Tatis Jr. has hit 25 home runs with a .914 OPS since connecting for his first homer on May 30.
San Diego’s catching situation features 20-year-old phenom Ethan Salas as a potential wild card, along with Luis Campusano and Freddy Fermin. How the Padres manage that three-catcher setup is one of the series’ biggest questions.
Left field goes to the Cubs, where Ian Happ produced 24 home runs and 68 RBIs. The Padres platoon left-handed-hitting Dustin Harris and righty Samad Taylor, both batting around .300.
On the mound, the Padres have announced Michael King (12-10, 3.21 ERA) for Game 1. The Cubs have not revealed their starter, with Matthew Boyd (10-5, 3.91 ERA) and Kevin Gausman (9-12, 4.51 ERA) as the top candidates.
The two teams were separated by a single run across three games in last year’s tightly contested Wild Card Series at Wrigley Field. The Cubs won that series and advanced to the NLDS.
“They’re the ones that knocked us out of the postseason last year,” Padres manager Craig Stammen said. “So we’re going to have to bring our ‘A’ game.”
The winner of this series will face the Brewers, the NL Central champions, in the NLDS.
Game 1 is Tuesday at 9 p.m. CT.
Source: MLB.com — Cubs News
