After a strong 3-1 win over the San Diego Padres in Tuesday's Game 1, the Chicago Cubs dropped Game 2 to those same Padres on Wednesday, 3-0. The Cubs' bats went almost completely silent, only notching four hits and one walk in the shutout loss. Despite the lineup's performance on Wednesday, Chicago manager Craig Counsell will field the same lineup in the deciding Game 3. Many Cubbies fans on X, formerly Twitter, are not pleased with that decision.

To be fair, Counsell also put out the same lineup in Game 1's win. The Padres utilized their bullpen's length more effectively in Game 2, with ace Dylan Cease only going 3.2 innings before the trio of Adrian Morejon, Mason Miller, and Robert Suarez pitched more than one inning to shut the Cubs out. In Game 3, the Padres will send former Chicago ace Yu Darvish to the bump, hoping that the veteran can shut down the North Siders' lineup for the second straight game. Can the Cubbies capture Game 3 and advance to the NLDS?

Can the Cubs win pivotal Game 3 with the same lineup as Game 2 shutout?

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Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field.
Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Many Cubs fans aren't fans of left fielder Ian Happ in the third spot of the lineup. The longtime Chicago outfielder is 0-for-8 so far in both Wild Card games and is currently 1-for-14 over the last five games. Happ is in a bit of a slump. Designated hitter Kyle Tucker also hasn't produced to his usual superstar levels. With Darvish on the hill for the visitors, the Cubs will counter with another veteran in Jameson Taillon. The right-hander had a solid season at Wrigley Field, going 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA over 129.2 innings. Despite their uproar over the lineup, some Cubbies fans are excited for Taillon to take the ball for Thursday's pivotal Game 3, like X user @BuschBangs.

If the Cubbies are going to come out on top in Game 3, then this much-maligned offense needs to produce a performance more like Game 1's win. A few more runs than Tuesday's three would be welcome. Darvish didn't make his season debut until July, so he hasn't faced Chicago since 2024. In two starts versus his former team last season, the Japanese veteran won both matchups. If he can win a third straight on Thursday night, then a lot of Cubs fans could voice their displeasure at Counsell's choices once again.