Boyd signed with the Cubs this offseason, and has recorded the best year of his career. He started 31 games, going 14-8 with a 3.21 ERA and 154 strikeouts and making his first All-Star Game. It's been a long road for Boyd, and he certainly won't take for granted starting Game 1 of the postseason at Wrigley Field.

The Chicago Cubs will take on the San Diego Padres in Game 1 of their first playoff series since 2020. Fans are hoping this will lead to another Champion.

Machado and the Padres are back on the road for the first round of the playoffs, beginning on Tuesday afternoon when they face Dansby Swanson and the Chicago Cubs in the opener of their best-of-three series.

The Cubs will host the Padres in a series between two teams with starting pitching concerns. Which team has the edge?

The Cubs and Padres split their regular-season series, with all six of those games happening back in April. Matthew Boyd pitched twice against them then, and it'll be the southpaw taking the mound as the Game 1 starter.

Reasons the Chicago Cubs will — and won't — beat the San Diego Padres in the National League Wild Card series.

Jeremiah Estrada is of two minds at the end of this sophomore season with the Padres. The right-hander struck out more than 100 batters during the regular season. But Estrada allowed 12 home runs — three times as many as he did last year.

The Cubs are set to face Padres right-hander Nick Pivetta on Tuesday. He posted a 2.87 ERA in 31 regular season games this year, including two starts against the Cubs. In the first, the Cubs tagged him for three runs in three innings. But he held them at bay in the next meeting, limiting the Cubs to one run and four hits through six innings.