Brewers once again await outcome of Padres-Cubs Wild Card series (with one key difference)

Heading into the final day of the regular season, the NL playoff picture is not yet set; the Arizona Diamondbacks could still usurp the Philadelphia Phillies for the final Wild Card spot. However, the rest of the NL playoff seeding is set in stone, meaning Milwaukee Brewers fans already know which matchup they will be monitoring in the Wild Card Series, and it may induce a spell of déjà vu.

For the second consecutive year, Pat Murphy's squad will face the winner of the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs in the NLDS. The Cubs and Padres will begin their best-of-three series on Tuesday, with Game 2 following on Wednesday, and Game 3 (if it's necessary) taking place on Thursday, October 1. Friday will be an off-day for all teams before Game 1 of the NLDS begins at American Family Field on Saturday, October 3.

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A season ago, the Padres and Cubs met in the Wild Card Series; Chicago won the series in Game 3, before losing to the Brewers in Game 5 of a memorable NLDS. However, there's a key difference between the Padres and Cubs' 2025 Wild Card matchup and the series they will play this year. Whereas last year's series took place at Wrigley Field in Chicago, due to the fact that the Cubs were the top Wild Card team, this year's best-of-three series will be played at Petco Park in San Diego. The Padres leapfrogged the Cubs in the NL Wild Card standings with a strong finish to the season in September, and will be rewarded with a home playoff series this week.

Padres to host Cubs in 2026 NL Wild Card Series with winner advancing to play Brewers in NLDS

The Cubs have had quite the travel week. After hosting the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field during the week, Craig Counsell's squad traveled to Boston for a matchup against the Red Sox in their final series of the regular season. However, with a nor'easter on the radar on the East Coast, the Cubs and Red Sox were forced to play a doubleheader at Fenway Park on Friday before traveling to Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, for their season finale on Sunday afternoon. With the Wild Card Series set to begin on Tuesday, the Cubs will have traveled from Chicago to Boston to Tampa to San Diego in a matter of five days.

Add to that situation the fact that the Cubs will be without the home-field advantage of playing at Wrigley Field, and Counsell's squad faces a daunting task. The Cubs have a 42-38 record on the road this year compared to a 46-35 record at home. It's by no means a significant difference, but Chicago would undoubtedly rather be playing at home in the Wild Card Series, and, due to their late-season stumble, now no longer will.

There are certainly pros and cons for both teams when it comes to who the Brewers want to match up with in the NLDS. For example, Chicago has one of the best offenses and defenses in MLB, but their starting rotation is by no means dominant and their bullpen is shaky. The Padres, on the other hand, have the best bullpen in baseball, but the other aspects of their roster aren't nearly as strong.

That said, regardless of who the Brewers end up playing in the NLDS, their opponent will now have to travel from the West Coast to American Family Field for Games 1 and 2, which is much different than the Cubs driving 90 miles north after defeating the Padres in the Wild Card Series last year.

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