Chris Paddack gets the nod for Game 1 of the NLWCS

After a fair amount of speculation regarding the Padres’ starter for Wednesday afternoon, we finally have our answer. According to the team’s recent Twitter update, Chris Paddack will be the starter for Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series against the St. Louis Cardinals at Petco Park.

The 24-year old was the Padres’ ace last season as a rookie when he went 9-7 with a 3.33 ERA through 26 starts. He unfortunately regressed a bit in his sophomore campaign after going 4-5 in 12 starts during the 2020 regular season with an ERA of 4.73 and 58 strikeouts through 59 innings pitched.

In his two starts against the Cardinals last year, Paddack pitched 9 ²⁄₃ innings with two runs allowed, 12 strikeouts, and five walks.

The 24-year old was the Padres’ ace last season as a rookie when he went 9-7 with a 3.33 ERA through 26 starts.