Walker Buehler (5-3, 3.81 ERA) gets the ball for San Diego against Colin Rea (5-5, 4.80 ERA) in the rubber match of a three-game set at Wrigley. The Cubs took the opener Monday 3-2, and on paper the pitching matchup today is the clearest argument the Padres have had all series — Buehler has been genuinely excellent, while Rea has been one of the more homer-prone starters in the majors this season.
Buehler posted a 1.71 ERA across his 5 June starts, allowing just 1 run in each outing, and he capped the month by beating his former Dodgers club while they were rolling. The guy has become the anchor of a rotation in crisis mode. Rea, meanwhile, enters at 4.80 and has surrendered 12 home runs on the season — the Cubs' lineup will be looking for one to leave the yard early.
Chicago comes in at 48-38 having won 6 of their last 7, and Pete Crow-Armstrong's run has been the story of the summer. In a 23-game stretch, Crow-Armstrong hit .412/.468/.835 with 10 homers and 40 hits — a pace that Cubs historians hadn't seen since Ryne Sandberg in 1984. The streak cooled a bit against the Brewers, but this lineup has also racked up 10 walk-off wins on the year, most in baseball. These Cubs know how to close.
- 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.
San Diego's rotation situation is the real albatross on this team right now. Musgrove, Darvish, Pivetta, Giolito, Waldron, and Marquez are all unavailable — Buehler is the only reliable arm they have, and if he cracks today, there's not much left behind him. The Padres have dropped 4 straight after looking sharp in that June 27 win over the Dodgers, and facing a Cubs team with this kind of momentum in their own park is a rough spot to try and stop the slide.