The MLB wild card matchups are set with three packed days of action Tuesday to Thursday in four best of three series without travel this week. Here is a look at the National League pairings and the starting pitching considerations this week.
NL WILD CARD San Diego Padres at Chicago Cubs
San Diego Padres
Nick Pivetta – Always a strong strikeout producer, Pivetta reigned in his home run risk this season for an outstanding campaign in his first season in San Diego, posting a 2.87 ERA after never having an ERA below 4.00 for a full season in his previous eight seasons. Pivetta’s only career postseason innings came with the Red Sox in 2021, and he had a 2.64 ERA over three starts. His Wrigley Field starts have gone poorly in his career with a 7.88 ERA in two starts but one of those starts was back in 2018. He allowed four runs and 10 hits in nine innings vs. the Cubs this season but these teams last met in April.
Dylan Cease – After being involved in several trade deadline rumors, Cease remained with the Padres and had strong late season returns with a 3.12 ERA in September. Cease had a 5.58 ERA in his road innings this season however and while he has an 11.5 K/9 while his 4.55 ERA was marginal, and walks can be an issue. Cease has made four postseason appearances in his career and sits with a 12.91 ERA as all three of his starting efforts have gone poorly, including allowing eight runs in five combined innings of two losses last season for San Diego. Cease does have a 2.50 ERA in three career starts at Wrigley Field, however.
Yu Darvish – Any of San Diego’s games could effectively turn into a bullpen game with a deep roster of relief options. Darvish at age 39 would be a candidate to make a start even though he has a 5.38 ERA in 15 starts this season. Darvish allowed three or fewer earned runs in all five of his September starts and over 70 innings of postseason experience will be valued. Darvish famously struggled in the 2017 World Series, but he owns a 3.77 ERA in his postseason career. He was excellent in a pair of starts last postseason for the Padres, while in six career postseason starts with San Diego he has a 2.56 ERA with five quality starts. Darvish has also made 30 career starts at Wrigley Field with solid career numbers, plus two quality starts in the postseason in Chicago, one as a visitor in 2017 and one with the Cubs in 2020.
Michael King – King had a 2.95 ERA in 30 starts last season and a 3.44 ERA in 15 starts this season for San Diego. King generates strikeouts effectively, but he was more prone to allowing home runs this season compared to last season. King made his postseason debut in 2020 for the Yankees, and he had mixed results in two wins for San Diego in last season’s playoffs. He struck out 12 in seven scoreless innings against Atlanta but then allowed five runs in five innings vs. the Dodgers. King has never started at Wrigley Field however, which might give Darvish the edge in considering a third starting option.
Chicago Cubs
Shota Imanaga – After a terrific 2024 season, Imanaga was less consistent in 25 starts in 2025, even as Chicago had a much better season. Imanaga had his worst start of the season in his final regular season start and he has allowed at least three runs in each of his last six starts for a concerning late season trajectory. Imanaga had worse season splits at home and after posting a 2.65 ERA at the All-Star Break, his numbers have swelled considerably. Imanaga did pitch well in both home and road starts vs. San Diego this season but those games were in April.
Matthew Boyd – With a 0.75 ERA in his postseason career, Boyd will likely get a start this week for the Cubs. He pitched well in three short starts for Cleveland in the postseason last year and made a brief postseason appearance for the Mariners in 2022. With a 3.21 ERA in 31 starts it was a fantastic comeback season for the 34-year-old left-hander, and he excelled in his home starts with a 2.51 ERA in nearly 90 innings at Wrigley Field. Boyd didn’t pitch his best down the stretch with rising figures in August and September after a dominant July, but he pitched well in both of his starts vs. San Diego early in the season.
Jameson Taillon – Taillon has been a solid option for the Cubs the past three seasons. He lacks great strikeout numbers, but he rarely walks batters, and he had his best results late in the season after missing nearly two months of action in the middle of the season. Since returning he went 4-1 with a 1.57 ERA. Taillon did pitch twice in the postseason for the Yankees in 2022, sporting a career 6.23 ERA in the postseason though his only start was acceptable, allowing one run in just over four innings.
Collin Rea – Rea delivered a good season for Chicago and will have to be considered as a starting option. Like Taillon, Rea won’t produce big strikeout counts but he has provided consistent results and has been in good form in September, with a 2.63 ERA in five starts. Rea has pitched for quality teams before, but he has not appeared in a postseason game however.
NL WILD CARD Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
Cincinnati Reds
Hunter Greene – Last pithing on September 24, Greene is the logical candidate to start Game 1 for Cincinnati, with the Reds not knowing if they would make the playoffs until the final day of the regular season. Greene has a 2.76 ERA in 19 starts with an 11.0 K/9. His home splits are far better than his road splits and he allowed five runs in five innings in a loss at Dodger Stadium in August. Like much of the Cincinnati roster, Greene has not pitched in the postseason previously.
Andrew Abbott – Abbott picked up a win in Milwaukee on Saturday and he might be reserved for a potential Game 3 on Thursday after being the top option all season with a 2.87 ERA in 29 starts. Abbott still had a 3.43 ERA in his road innings despite being much better at home and while his numbers after the All-Star Break were not as strong as his first half splits. He is a tough left-hander that many Dodgers hitters have never faced as he may be counted on with the season on the line.
Nick Lodolo – Lodolo did pitch an inning Sunday, two days after a great scoreless start on Thursday in a must-win game. Lodolo has the best road splits of any of the Cincinnati rotation options, though he allowed six runs and 11 hits in 10 innings vs. the Dodgers this season.
Other options - Brady Singer pitched over three innings on Sunday as he will likely not be considered to start in this series if he is included on the wild card roster. Singer won 14 games but had average numbers with some ups-and-downs in his first season with the Reds. Singer technically has postseason experience, but he faced only one batter in the postseason for the Royals last season. A highly regarded rookie, Chase Burns wowed with a 13.9 K/9 but he didn’t pick up an MLB win this season, making eight starts and five relief appearances. Burns shifted to a relief role in September and will likely be called on for innings in this series. A trade deadline pickup without much attention, Zack Littell continued the average season pace he had with Tampa Bay into 10 steady starts for the Reds. Littell has a 9.00 ERA in five career postseason innings, all as a reliever, pitching in the postseason with three different teams from 2019 to 2023. Nick Martinez pitched 11 postseason innings for the Padres in 2022 with a 0.82 ERA. Those were all relief outings and Martinez will be a veteran arm that could be used in a variety of roles.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Yoshinobu Yamamoto – While his first postseason starting effort last season went poorly, Yamamoto proved to be a hero in the postseason with a terrific Game 2 start in the World Series. Yamamoto has a 3.86 ERA in nearly 19 innings in the postseason, and he pitched well in his only road start in the NLCS.
Blake Snell – Despite plenty of opportunities with 10 career postseason starts, two-time Cy Young Winner Blake Snell has never delivered a quality start in the playoffs. Snell allowed seven runs just over 13 innings for the Padres in the 2022 playoffs in his last postseason trip and while he did pitch well in the 2020 run for the Rays, he was of course infamously removed in the sixth inning after 73 pitches in a decisive Game 6 of the World Series.
Tyler Glasnow – With a career 5.72 ERA in nearly 46 postseason innings, Tyler Glasnow hasn’t been a reliable postseason option in his career. He was teammates with Snell in the 2020 World Series run for the Rays, but he allowed four or more runs in four of his six starts that postseason, including allowing 10 runs in fewer than 10 innings in two World Series starts.
Other options - It remains to be seen how the Dodgers will use Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher in the playoffs. He is yet to pitch in a postseason game, but he seems likely to be an option to start a game should Los Angeles advance to the NLCS or World Series. Ohtani being used in a relief role has some challenges given that he’ll be batting in the lineup as a DH, but using him as an extended opener seems possible. It seems unlikely that Clayton Kershaw will be on the wild card roster as he pitched on Sunday. His playoff splits have never matched his regular season results, with a 4.49 ERA in over 194 career postseason innings. In his last playoff start in 2023, he allowed six runs while getting only one out.
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