Brewers to face red-hot Padres in NLDS after Cubs suffer sweep in San Diego

History will not repeat itself in 2026. At risk of facing their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, in the postseason for the second consecutive year, the Milwaukee Brewers will instead face the San Diego Padres in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. After sweeping the Cubs in the 2026 NL Wild Card Series, the Padres have earned a date with the top-seeded Brewers in the National League Divisional Series.

It's bound to create mixed feelings among the Brewers' fanbase, the team's matchup with the Padres in the NLDS. On one hand, Pat Murphy's squad avoided another postseason series with the Cubs -- a situation that could have been just as emotionally taxing as it was a season ago. However, on the other hand, the Brewers now have to face the hottest team in baseball, the Padres, in the NLDS.

Before sweeping the Cubs with two wins over the last two days, the Padres posted an 18-6 record during the final month of the regular season. The only team to post as strong of a record during the final month of the season? The Milwaukee Brewers, who capped their record-breaking 103-win season with an 18-6 record in September. As such, the Padres' convincing defeat of the Cubs at Petco Park in the NL Wild Card Series has set up a clash of the two hottest teams in baseball. The Brewers undoubtedly have their hands full, but there's reason to believe Murphy's team is better positioned for success than their NL Central rivals.

MLB's two hottest teams, the Brewers and Padres, set to face off in National League Division Series

The Padres defeated the Cubs in large part due to a surprising performance from their starting pitching staff. Yes, San Diego racked up 12 runs in two games, but overlooked is the fact that the combination of Michael King and Nick Pivetta held the Cubs' offense, which was deemed the best in baseball by a number of metrics, to just one run in 10.1 innings during the Wild Card Series. When the bullpen group is as strong as the one San Diego possesses, that kind of performance from a pair of starting pitchers who certainly came with their fair share of uncertainty is a huge advantage.

That said, it also helped that San Diego's offense got off to a hot start in each of their two games against the Cubs this week. The Padres scored eight of their 12 runs during the Wild Card Series in the first four innings of the two contests. Chicago's starting pitchers, Matthew Boyd and Kevin Gausman, both struggled, and the Cubs' offense simply couldn't overcome the early-game deficits they faced in both contests.

The Padres will undoubtedly face a tougher task with Jacob Misiorowski and Logan Henderson in Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS, and they will have to overcome that difficult duo while turning to their No. 3 starter -- likely Robbie Ray -- in Game 1 on Saturday night. That said, San Diego's elite bullpen group will be well-rested and at full strength when the NLDS begins in two days, so Padres' manager Craig Stammen might not ask for much from Ray on Saturday night. It's bound to be an electric matchup between the surging Padres and the consistently strong Brewers in the NLDS.

Game 1 of the NLDS is now officially scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, October 3, at American Family Field.

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