Brewers fans feel mixed emotions after Padres' emphatic win over Cubs in Wild Card Series opener

After last year's heart-thumping, nerve-wracking NLDS against the Chicago Cubs, it would probably be for the best if we don't have to go through that again. Yes, that five-game series was a ton of fun, but the last thing this historic season needs is a final chapter where the Milwaukee Brewers' biggest rival avenges their loss from last postseason.

So, in that sense, the embarrassment the Cubs just faced at the hands of the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of the Wild Card Round was a fun romp to watch. Michael King neutered their league-best offense, repeatedly embarrassing Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman. The Friars' offense paid him in kind by launching an air-raid assault on Matthew Boyd, with Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado welcoming him to the game with two first-inning homers.

However, there's a caveat to all this: The Padres are white-hot right now. Facing them is probably not an ideal situation after a (well-earned) bye. However, given the way Game 1 went -- San Diego won 8-0 -- it doesn't seem as though the Brewers are going to have much of a choice.

Why Brewers would benefit if Cubs start to play just a little bit better in Wild Card Round

In the regular season, the Crew completely owned their rivals from Chicago, finishing with a 9-4 record that included a dominant 5-2 stretch at the beginning of September. Juxtapose that with a 2-4 showing against the Friars -- including a three-game sweep in San Diego in August -- and it's clear which opponent presents a more favorable matchup.

Likewise, the Cubs limped to the end of the season, wrapping up September with an 11-13 record and the league's 15th-ranked scoring offense for the month. Meanwhile, the Padres tied the Brewers for the best record in baseball (18-6) and scored the second-most runs, behind only Milwaukee's scorching hot lineup.

It's also worth noting that, as funny as it was to see the Cubs get their doors blown off, it made for a rather easy win for the Padres. Their greatest strength is their league-leading bullpen, which features all-galaxy closer Mason Miller and all-Milky Way set-up man Adrian Morejon. None of their high-leverage relievers were used in the game, with Yuki Matsui and Joe Musgrove (in his long-awaited return from injury) cleaning up things behind King's masterpiece.

Those kinds of low-stress, momentum-building wins are exactly the kind of fuel underdog teams need to go on deep postseason runs. So, yes, while it's still our duty to root for the Cubs to lose, it'd also be nice if they made the Padres' lives just a little bit harder along the way.

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