Dodgers News: Cubs Fly the W, Ending Padres’ Season

CHICAGO — If you were hoping for a Dodgers–Padres chapter in this year’s October story, it is not happening. Chicago sent San Diego home with a 3–1 win at Wrigley, riding former Dodger Michael Busch’s big late swing and a deep bullpen that bent, but did not break. The Cubs advance to face the top-seeded Brewers. On the National League side, it has been all chalk so far. The Dodgers will head to Philadelphia for the NLDS, with the Phillies holding home field. Game 1 is Saturday. First pitch for Dodgers–Phillies is 3:30 p.m. Pacific.

Yu Darvish took the loss and never found footing. The former Dodger gave up four hits in the first two frames and was chased after Chicago scratched out two runs in the second. Seiya Suzuki ripped a double, Carson Kelly wore a pitch, and Pete Crow-Armstrong punched an RBI single to center. Dansby Swanson followed with a bases-loaded walk for a 2–0 lead. Darvish’s final line: one inning, four hits, two earned, one strikeout.

Chicago kept the pressure on all afternoon, stacking 13 hits and forcing the Padres to cycle through arms. The swing of the day belonged to Busch. In the seventh, with the Cubs up 2–0 and Robert Suarez on the mound, Busch launched a solo shot to right center to make it 3–0. He finished 3-for-4 with the homer and two singles, a familiar sight for Dodger fans who watched him rake in the system.

The Padres had chances, and plenty of them. They went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. Jackson Merrill did his part, doubling in the fourth and crushing a solo homer in the ninth to crack the door. Then came the moment everyone will talk about. Xander Bogaerts was rung up for the first out of the ninth on a pitch that looked clearly low. It was a bad call and it changed the count, the at-bat, and the inning’s shape.

San Diego then caught a couple of breaks when Ryan O’Hearn and Bryce Johnson were hit by pitches. The tying run stood at second. Wrigley got tight. But Jake Cronenworth grounded out to third and was called out on a bang-bang play. The runners advanced, but the big swing never came. Freddy Fermin’s sharp fly to center ended it. Andrew Kittredge got the final two outs and the save.

Give the Cubs staff credit for threading the needle. Jameson Taillon set the tone with four scoreless, working around two hits while striking out four. Daniel Palencia came in hot to snuff a fifth-inning threat. Drew Pomeranz and Brad Keller bridged to the ninth. When it got messy, Kittredge closed the door. Chicago’s defense was crisp, too. Dansby Swanson started two key double plays, and Crow-Armstrong covered miles in center.

For San Diego, the season ends with a familiar October frustration. The top of the order went quiet. Fernando Tatis Jr. struck out three times. Manny Machado reached once on a walk. Merrill’s late homer offered life, but the big hit never arrived.

So the bracket moves on. Cubs vs. Brewers in one NLDS. Dodgers vs. Phillies in the other. Los Angeles will head east with a rotation that looked sharp this week and an offense that found its situational gear. Saturday is set. See you at 3:30 p.m. Pacific.

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