Dansby Swanson, Cubs Prove Defense Wins Wild Card Championships
The Cubs scored a total of six runs across three Wild Card games, which was one more than the Padres scraped out. Six of the 11 total runs came on homers, with Manny Machado‘s two-run shot in Game 2 standing as the only non-solo dinger. That’s a testament to the outstanding pitching from both teams, particularly the bullpens, but the Cubs’ gloves sure did a lot of the heavy lifting when it came to making their pitchers look good.
“I thought the defense was the MVP of the series,” Jed Hoyer said on the field after the win. “Dansby was incredible, Pete made a great play in the 1st inning, Matt Shaw made a tough play in the 9th inning, and Nico’s catch in the 8th really…that was a massive play. So, I thought the defense was the MVP. The bullpen was amazing throughout.
“We knew that runs would be at a premium the whole series and we held them down, and that was the key.”
It didn’t hurt that Luis Arraez gave up on a 4th-inning liner that Dansby Swanson wasn’t able to snag cleanly, allowing the shortstop to throw the runner out. That play was surely in the slap-hitter’s head two innings later when he grounded one up the middle and Swanson once again had a little bobble. But the Gold Glove shortstop hung with it to keep Arraez off the bases. For good measure, Arraez grounded out to Swanson in the 8th as well.
DANSBY DELIVERS ON DEFENSE ?
(via ESPN) pic.twitter.com/lFoxjYYt2r
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 2, 2025
A lot has been made about how Swanson has been merely a league-average offensive producer over his three seasons in Chicago, but his overall impact has been well worth the big contract. His play in the field remains elite and he can lay claim to being the biggest reason the Cubs ended up winning this series. He’s too humble for that, so others did it for him.
“Talking about defense, I don’t think they give MVP for this round, [but] I’d give it to Swanson,” Padres manager Mike Schildt said after the game. “I mean, Dansby played his tail off, man, he almost single-handedly beat us with his glove. We talk in the modern game about the pitching and we talk about the offense and who we’re hitting four, and all the things that are appropriate to talk about in our game.
“But the one thing we don’t talk about anymore is your defense, and this time of year is defense — we played great defense, but Dansby Swanson absolutely beat us with his glove this series.”
Swanson’s double-play partner didn’t look too bad either, making like Ryne Sandberg for an aerial catch in the 7th inning. It was quite fitting for Nico Hoerner to channel the legendary second baseman against the same team that eliminated the 1984 Cubs from the postseason.
AIR NICO!pic.twitter.com/D4KDBI7pLY
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) October 2, 2025
“The defense certainly stands out tonight — our middle infielders, Pete this series, Matt Shaw this series,” Craig Counsell told reporters. “Like, absolutely, some huge plays. Sometimes in a game that’s so statistically analyzed, just preventing — less pitches for our guys, getting matchups for guys, I think it makes our bullpen more successful. And that’s why teams are so connected, because you need that stuff to make everybody…you affect each other.
“We played a great defensive game tonight, absolutely.”
The Cubs played better defense than the Padres, hit more home runs than the Padres, and pitched better than the Padres. Well, that last part might be up for debate if you really wanted to pick nits, but I’ll leave that for someone else. When you outperform your opponent in those three facets of the game, particularly in the postseason, you’re going to create a great deal of competitive leverage.
Now Counsell leads his team to Milwaukee for the first-ever playoff series between these division rivals, and he may have the advantage in at least two phases yet again. The Cubs hit more home runs (223 to 166) while accumulating more defensive runs saved (83 to 31) and outs above average (31 to 29), putting them head and shoulders above the Brewers. That’s not the case on the pitching side, where the Brewers have one of the best staffs in baseball.
But just like the Cubs are missing Cade Horton, Milwaukee may be without Brandon Woodruff for at least this series. The big righty went on the IL retroactive to September 18 with a right lat strain and is eligible for the NLDS roster, but that type of injury doesn’t typically clear up in two weeks. The team is consulting with famed orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, who performed Woodruff’s shoulder surgery two years ago, to aid their assessment of his readiness.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy teased an update by the end of the day on Tuesday, yet here we are on Friday with nothing new. If you’re a fan of reading into such things, that seems like bad news. Like when the Cubs talked about Horton being on track despite still seeking outside opinions before finally revealing that his fractured rib was indeed worse than they’d initially indicated. We’ll know Woodruff’s status for sure once rosters are announced, and I’d be very surprised if he’s active.
That doesn’t tip the balance in the Cubs’ favor by any stretch, especially not when they just finished up a Wild Card sprint and will have to get a little creative with the rotation. Matthew Boyd would be on short rest, which isn’t ideal after his increased innings load this season. He only threw 58 pitches on Tuesday, though, and getting warm in the bullpen during Thursday’s win may have acted like part of his typical routine. Counsell could also go with Colin Rea, who worked Wednesday in relief and is familiar with Milwaukee from his time with the Brewers.
I’d prefer to see Rea based on how he finished the season, but also because it would give Boyd extra rest for Game 2. That would also give Shōta Imanaga five days between starts or put Jameson Taillon at regular rest for Game 3 in Chicago. To that end, I’d like to see them flipped to give Imanaga six days between starts. Again, it all comes down to making 27 outs.
And with their superior defense, the Cubs may be able to steal a few more outs here and there regardless of who’s on the bump.
Update: Murphy confirmed to reporters Friday that Woodruff will not be active for the NLDS, but said the righty’s shoulder is “100% intact.” That doesn’t really mean much other than Woodruff’s arm hasn’t fallen off, but this was not necessarily a shoulder issue to begin with. Then again, the latissimus dorsi does attach near the top of the humerus and could be considered part of the shoulder even though it’s most often associated with the back.
