Good morning, Chicago.

Any hopes of a deep October run come down to Thursday.

The Cubs face a win-or-go-home Game 3 against the Padres after a 3-0 loss Wednesday evened the best-of-three National League wild-card series in front of 41,083 fans who were left waiting for a moment to erupt and energize Wrigley Field.

"It would have been really nice to just get this series over with today," center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong said. "But we’re also prepared to come back tomorrow and do it again."

The Cubs will turn to right-hander Jameson Taillon to start Game 3, with a matchup against the Brewers — who had the majors' best record — awaiting Thursday's winner in the NL Division Series. The Padres will counter by starting ex-Cub Yu Darvish.

"The first two games is really what you expected in this series, and I think (Thursday) will be a lot of the same, " Counsell said. "We're made for that.

"We're going to have to produce more offense, there's no question. We didn't do enough offensively today — three at-bats with runners in scoring position, that's going to be tough to put up more than a single run. That's going to be the challenge."

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