All hands on deck for the postseason. The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs are set to meet at Wrigley Field for the finale of a three-game NL Wild Card series.
The Padres forced a Game 3 on Wednesday after their 3-0 shutout win thanks to an all-around effort from the pitching staff. Manny Machado hit what could be one of the biggest home runs of his career off of Shota Imanaga in the 5th inning. After the Cubs defeated the Friars in Game 1 off of back-to-back home runs, San Diego responded with a moonshot of their own, which is major in the postseason.
Padres manager Mike Shildt could do something unthinkable. Nick Pivetta started Game 1 for the Padres and pitched 5.0 innings, throwing 85 pitches. Pivetta skipped his bullpen session on Thursday, which means that he will be available out of the bullpen if needed.
“Nick Pivetta is not throwing his bullpen session today. I think it’s unlikely he’d pitch. But… ‘All hands are on deck,' Mike Shildt said (again).”
You never know what could happen when the season is on the line. Every person on the 26-man roster is available except for Dylan Cease, who started Wednesday's game. The same could be said about Shota Imanaga as well, as every other Cub is likely able to play today if needed.
The Padres' bullpen is deep. The only real scenario where Pivetta comes in would be in extra innings, if the game is starting to take its toll. Yu Darvish is starting for the Padres for Game 3, and the hope is that he can pitch at least five innings. However, Mike Shildt will go to his strong bullpen if his team has a lead and he feels the bullpen can close it out. You can expect Michael King to pitch at least one inning in relief of Darvish, depending on how the game is going.
