It was a forgone conclusion as the Chicago Cubs defeated the San Diego Padres in the NL Wild Card Series. After the Padres lost Game 3 by a score of 3-1, San Diego right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. didn't hold back in what he says the Padres need to be better at going forward.
“[We need to] hit. Just f**king hit. … Just pick it up and everything,” he said.
To that point, a lack of hitting, along with other obvious shortcomings, contributed to San Diego's downfall against the Cubs, per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
For instance, it was a case of history repeating itself. The offense failed to perform in the make-or-break contest, much like what led to San Diego losing to the Dodgers in the 2024 NLDS.
Altogether, the Padres were 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position in Game 3. Furthermore, Tatis. was 0-for-4 and struck out three times. Then, they lacked home run power at the plate.
This season, San Diego was ranked 28th in home runs with 129 and 25th in slugging percentage with .383. Aside from Titas, Manny Machado wasn't able to muster up any more power following his home run in Game 2. Plus, they weren't able to come back after Jackson Merrill hit a homer in the 9th inning of Game 3.
Prior to that, fans were up in arms over a controversial call against Xander Bogaerts. He was called for strike three against Brad Keller. Umpire D.J. Reyburn contended it was a strike, despite the ball being well below the strike zone.
Ultimately, that halted the chance of a San Diego comeback.
Other factors that led to the Padres losing
Additionally, the performance of starter Yu Darvish led to the Padres playing from behind. He pitched one full inning before giving up four hits and two earned runs in the second.
Afterward, manager Mike Shildt pulled Darvish out. Furthermore, the Cubs offense managed to hit the ball at the right moments. Particularly, Pete Crow-Armstrong came through going 3-for-4 with an RBI.
Additionally, the Padres utilized the bullpen as much as they could, but to no avail.
