Matthew Boyd (2-1, 5.02 ERA) gets the ball for Chicago against JP Sears (1-0, 3.18 ERA) in Game 2 of a 3-game Wrigley set, first pitch at 7:05 PM CT. Sears was recalled from Triple-A El Paso after Lucas Giolito landed on the IL with elbow inflammation last week, made his Padres season debut against Atlanta — 5.2 innings, 2 earned runs, 5 strikeouts — and now faces a Cubs lineup that does not let pitchers relax. Boyd returned from time off and went 4.2 scoreless frames against the Mets last Thursday, though his season ERA reflects a bumpy first half, and he gave up 5 runs over 4 innings the last time he faced San Diego back in April.
Chicago brings genuine momentum into tonight: 47-38, winners of 4 of their last 5, and riding last night's 3-2 walk-off after Seiya Suzuki's 9th-inning single off Mason Miller finished it. Shota Imanaga went 6-plus to keep it close enough for the bullpen to do its thing. The Padres, meanwhile, have dropped 3 straight after getting beaten twice by the Dodgers — including a 15-3 blowout — and are carrying an offense into Wrigley that ranks last in the majors in runs, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging, and wRC+.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is the engine making this Cubs lineup genuinely dangerous. Since moving to the leadoff spot on May 23, he has posted a 1.182 OPS — the best mark in baseball in that span. Over an 18-game stretch that OptaSTATS says has never been matched in MLB's modern era, he put up 34 hits, 9 home runs, 5 doubles, 2 triples, and 6 stolen bases. He hit for the cycle on June 15. At 24 years old he is playing like the best player in the NL right now, and San Diego has to figure that out with Sears in only his 2nd start of the year.
- 10-Day-ILLuis Campusano C — Campusano (toe) will embark on a rehab assignment with Triple-A El Paso later this week, Annie Heilbrunn of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 15-Day-ILDavid Morgan RP — The Padres recalled Morgan from Triple-A El Paso on Friday.
- 15-Day-ILGerman Marquez SP — Marquez (forearm) will make another rehab start with Triple-A El Paso on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatt Waldron SP — Waldron (forearm) struck out four and allowed two earned runs on two hits and four walks across 2.2 innings Thursday in a rehab start with Triple-A El Paso.
- 15-Day-ILLucas Giolito SP — Giolito was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Monday, with right elbow inflammation.
- 15-Day-ILJeremiah Estrada RP — Estrada (2-2) picked up the loss after giving up the eventual game-winning run in a 3-2 loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday.
- 60-Day-ILNick Pivetta SP — Pivetta (forearm) threw a light bullpen session Saturday, MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJoe Musgrove SP — Musgrove (elbow) started playing catch in late May, per MLB.com.
- Day-To-DayJaxon Wiggins SP — The Cubs announced Wednesday that Wiggins (elbow) has resumed throwing bullpen sessions and facing hitters at the organization's complex in Arizona and could soon be ready to pitch in games, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Birdsell RP — Birdsell (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.
- 10-Day-ILMatt Shaw RF — The Cubs placed Shaw on the 10-day injured list Monday due to a sprained left hand, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILEthan Roberts RP — The Cubs placed Roberts on the 15-day injured list Monday due to right forearm inflammation.
- 15-Day-ILDaniel Palencia RP — Palencia (elbow) is progressing in his rehab from elbow tendinitis, but he won't be activated from the injured list until after the All-Star break, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILHoby Milner RP — Milner (abdomen) will be sidelined 4-to-6 weeks after undergoing emergency appendectomy surgery on Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILJameson Taillon SP — Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that there's a chance Taillon (hamstring) will return from the injured list before the All-Star break, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILPhil Maton RP — The Cubs placed Maton (knee) on the 15-day injured list Friday with a right knee injury, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Sears gets this start entirely because the Padres have no one else healthy — Darvish, Musgrove, Pivetta, Giolito, Marquez, and Waldron are all on the injured list. If Sears pitches well enough to lock down a rotation spot, great; if not, San Diego is going to be stitching together a staff for the next month. The Cubs are also battered on the mound — Steele is done for the year, Horton and Cabrera are both out — which is why they went and acquired David Peterson from the Mets on June 25. Both teams are working with a patchwork rotation, but Chicago has the lineup depth and the walk-off pedigree to make one-run games go their way. San Diego needs Sears to be better than anyone is expecting him to be.