Cubs vs. Padres: Gametime set, starting pitchers announced for decisive Game 3 of NL Wild Card series

Win or go home. Do-or-die. No tomorrow.

However you want to phrase it, there’s nothing like an MLB postseason elimination game, and Wrigley Field will be the site of one starting late Thursday afternoon.

The Cubs and San Diego Padres are all tied up at a game apiece in their best-of-3 NL Wild Card series after a pair of low-scoring games Tuesday and Wednesday.

Powered by back-to-back homers from Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly to take the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, then four perfect innings from the bullpen to preserve it, the Cubs took Game 1, 3-1.

But the Padres countered with their own dominant bullpen performance in Game 2, which backed a first-inning run and a two-run homer by Manny Machado in the top of the fifth for a 3-0 win.

That sets up the decisive Game 3 on Thursday, with the winner advancing to face the Milwaukee Brewers, the NL’s top seed, in the best-of-5 NLDS, which begins Saturday.

The starting time for Thursday’s game was up in the air until late Wednesday night, pending the results of other Wild Card series around the league. After the dust had all settled, first pitch from Wrigley Field was set for 4:08 p.m.

Here’s a closer glance at the decisive Game 3:

How to watch, listen

Thursday’s game will be televised nationally on ESPN.

If you’re looking to tune in to the radio, per usual, the game will be broadcast on 670 The Score AM and WRTO 1200 AM, with Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer on the call.

There will also be a national broadcast on ESPN Radio.

Who’s pitching?

The teams have announced their starters for Thursday’s game, and they’re both going with veteran right-handers.

One will be making his second start in a postseason elimination game at Wrigley Field, but this time for the Cubs’ opponent.

Yu Darvish, the 39-year-old veteran, will take the mound for the Padres. Among his previous career stops was a three-year stint with the Cubs from 2018-20.

During the COVID-altered playoff format of 2020, Darvish took the mound for the Cubs in Game 2 of a best-of-3 NL Wild Card series against the Miami Marlins, with the Cubs trailing 1-0 in the series. Darvish pitched very well, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings, but he received no offensive support, and the Cubs were eliminated with a 2-0 loss.

That would be Darvish’s last game with the Cubs. They traded him to the Padres during the ensuing offseason, along with catcher Victor Caratini, in a deal that brought back five players. Among those was Owen Caissie, now the Cubs’ top prospect.

Now in his fifth season with the Padres, Darvish was out until July and hasn’t fashioned the same type of season he’s used to in his career. He posted a career-high 5.38 ERA in 15 starts, finishing with a 5-5 record.

Darvish was hit hard in five September starts, giving up 14 runs (13 earned) and 28 hits, including six homers.

But in a postseason elimination game, you can generally throw regular-season stats out the window. And Darvish has plenty of big-game experience. This will be his 14th career playoff start.

For the Cubs, 33-year-old veteran Jameson Taillon will make the start Thursday. He had a solid regular season, despite a couple stints on the injured list, going 11-7 with a 3.68 ERA, 98 strikeouts and 27 walks over 129 2/3 innings.

Taillon was particularly sharp in four September starts, allowing just four runs and 16 hits in 23 1/3 innings.

Yet despite all his MLB experience, this will only be Taillon’s second career postseason start.

All the Darvish-versus-Taillon breakdown aside, it’s likely this game will be decided by the bullpens, as postseason elimination games often are.

The Padres have arguably the best bullpen in baseball, while the Cubs’ bullpen hasn’t allowed a run in the series, excepting the two innings allowed in four runs by usual starter Shota Imanaga, who came on in the second inning of Game 2 after Andrew Kittredge allowed a run in the first inning as the “opener.”

The lineups

The teams will announce their lineups in the hours prior to first pitch, so stay tuned.

With two righties on the mound to start, it’s a safe bet both teams will want to get some left-handed hitters in their lineups. But in a game like this, it’s all hands on-deck throughout all nine innings — or more.

What’s next?

As mentioned, the winner of Thursday’s game will head to Milwaukee to face the Brewers for Game 1 of the NLDS on Saturday. First pitch for that game is to be announced.

The winner of that series will advance to the NLCS to play either the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers or the Philadelphia Phillies.

That NLDS match-up is all set after the Dodgers swept the Reds in their NL Wild Card Series. The Phillies are the No. 2 seed in the NL and had the other first-round bye in addition to the Brewers.