Chicago Cubs @ San Diego Padres – Series Preview (April 14-16): Overview, Game and Broadcast Info, Starting Pitchers, W2W4
The Cubs (11-7) won their fourth consecutive series against the defending champion Dodgers in Los Angeles this weekend and are more than holding their own in the middle of a very difficult stretch of games to start 2025. It wasn’t all good news for manager Craig Counsell‘s team with the news Sunday that co-ace Justin Steele is going to miss the rest of the season with an elbow injury.
It’s just another layer of adversity Chicago will have to overcome to make a return to the postseason. If they keep banking early wins, it will put them in position to add a starting pitcher via trade at the deadline to try and fill Steele’s shoes. The April grind continues for the North Siders with a three-game set at Petco Park against the high-flying Padres starting Monday.
San Diego (13-3) has won six of the last seven after dropping the first two games at Wrigley Field a week ago to move firmly into first place in the National League West. The Pads absolutely dominated the Rockies in their last series, sweeping them with three shutouts and outscoring their opponents 16-0.
The Padres offense continues to produce with a team OPS of .771, although they have just 15 total home runs through 16 games. Fernando Tatís Jr. is on fire early with a 1.049 OPS on top of excellent speed and defense. The Cubs dodge a bullet with sensational sophomore center fielder Jackson Merrill going on the injured list with a hamstring issue after a hot start to the season.
San Diego continues to pitch lights-out with a 2.68 team ERA through the first three weeks, the second-lowest in MLB. Most of the starting pitchers have done well with the odd exception of ace Dylan Cease, who has had a couple of rough outings. The bullpen, on the other hand, is the best in baseball with a minuscule 1.51 ERA and a veritable cavalcade of hard-throwers.
The Cubs have handed the Padres two of their three losses in 2025, but they are on fire right now and it’s not going to be an easy test. Just earning a split in this six-game road trip would be huge, but a winning trip would be a great bonus.
Game Time and Broadcast Info
- Monday, April 14 at 8:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Tuesday, April 15 at 8:40pm CT on Marquee.
- Wednesday, April 16 at 3:10pm CT on Marquee.
Starting Pitchers
| Date | Pitcher | Age | T | ERA | W/L | FIP | K/BB |
| 4/14 | Jameson Taillon | 33 | R | 6.06 | 1-1 | 5.21 | 3.50 |
| Dylan Cease | 29 | R | 7.98 | 1-1 | 2.66 | 3.00 | |
| 4/15 | Shōta Imanaga | 31 | L | 2.70 | 2-1 | 4.37 | 2.00 |
| Randy Vásquez | 26 | R | 1.72 | 1–1 | 4.53 | 0.50 | |
| 4/16 | Matthew Boyd | 34 | L | 1.59 | 1-1 | 3.35 | 2.43 |
| Nick Pivetta | 32 | R | 1.59 | 2–1 | 2.35 | 4.50 |
What to Watch For
- Michael Busch absolutely went off against his former team with six hits, two of which went for homers.
- Seiya Suzuki was held out of Sunday’s game with a sore wrist and his status is day-to-day.
- Boyd has been the Cubs’ most consistent pitcher early in the season.
- Pete Crow-Armstrong broke out of his early season hitting slump in a big way with two home runs and a triple against the Dodgers in Sunday’s finale.
