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3 Cubs most to blame for brutal no-show in Game loss to Padres
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- 3 Cubs most to blame for brutal no-show in Game loss to Padres
3 Cubs most to blame for brutal no-show in Game loss to Padres appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Chicago Cubs could not have scripted a worse start to the postseason.
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The Cubs entered Game 1 of the NL Wild Card Series with a chance to pressure the San Diego Padres after winning five of six regular-season meetings. Instead, Chicago was embarrassed 8-0 at Petco Park and now sits one loss from elimination.
Michael King deserves plenty of credit after carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning and allowing one hit across seven scoreless frames. Still, the Cubs' biggest names gave him little resistance while Matthew Boyd put the offense in an immediate hole.
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Three Cubs deserve most of the blame for a brutal Game 1 no-show.
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Matthew Boyd buried the Cubs before they could settle in
Boyd could not have opened the MLB Playoffs much worse.
Fernando Tatis Jr. crushed the first pitch Boyd threw for a leadoff home run, immediately putting the Cubs behind . Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts later went deep as well, giving Boyd three home runs allowed in four innings.
The left-hander finished with four earned runs allowed on five hits. That was especially damaging in a best-of-three series where every inning carries additional weight.
Chicago's offense was awful, but Boyd never gave it an opportunity to establish itself in a close game. The Cubs were already down 4-0 when his night ended, and San Diego eventually broke the game open against the bullpen.
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The club needed Boyd to stabilize Game 1 . Instead, he helped the Padres seize control almost instantly.
Pete Crow-Armstrong disappeared when Chicago needed its star
Pete Crow-Armstrong produced a brilliant regular season, which makes his Game 1 performance even harder to overlook.
The Cubs center fielder wrapped up the 2026 regular season with 45 home runs, 41 stolen bases, and 119 runs. He established himself as the engine of Chicago's lineup and one of the National League's biggest stars.
That version of Crow-Armstrong never appeared Tuesday.
He went hitless and struck out three times as King overwhelmed Chicago . In a game where the Cubs desperately needed somebody to change the energy, their most dynamic player could not provide it.
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One poor postseason game does not erase Crow-Armstrong's season. However, star players receive star-level expectations in October, and the Cubs cannot survive another quiet performance with elimination looming.
Alex Bregman failed to provide the veteran response
Alex Bregman was supposed to be one of the Cubs' stabilizing forces in exactly this type of game.
Instead, the superstar third baseman could not provide the middle-of-the-order production needed against King. With the Cubs struggling to generate baserunners, Bregman failed to deliver an at-bat that could have changed the game's momentum.
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That matters because Bregman's postseason experience is part of his value. Chicago did not need every hitter to solve King. It needed one of its proven bats to make him uncomfortable.
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That never happened.
The Cubs finished with only three hits and never scored. Nico Hoerner finally broke up King's no-hit bid in the seventh, but by then the Padres were in the driver's seat.
Chicago does not have time to dwell on the embarrassment. Game 2 is an elimination game, and its biggest names must ensure disaster does not end the season.
Related: Cubs' Alex Bregman issues sobering evaluation after crushing Game 1 loss to Padres
Related: Cubs' Craig Counsell makes quick decision on Game 2 starter vs. Padres
