Cubs or Padres in wild-card series? Bears or Raiders on Sunday? Here's how you voted

Cubs. Padres. Three games. Or two, depending on how it goes.

Who wins the big, best-of-three wild-card series that begins on Tuesday? That was the first item of business in this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on the social platform X.

“The Cubs must win the first game or else they’ll lose the series,” @ronw_sportsnut commented.

And @BMalinoma warned, “Cubs bats have a history of going mute, except for that one year.”

Oh, yeah, that one year …

Next, we asked how far the Cubs will advance in the playoffs. Will they make it to the divisional round? Even further than that?

“I’d like to talk to those who say World Series,” @_abhayshah wrote.

Last, we asked voters for their winner of the Bears game against the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday. In a huge majority, they picked the visitors from Chicago.

“Even for a team as ‘mid’ as the Bears, an ‘L’ would be disappointing,” @00723maui observed.

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: What’s your prediction for the upcoming best-of-three wild-card series between the Cubs and the Padres?

Upshot: According to our math, this is split almost exactly at 50-50 in terms of which team will win the series. Is that a good sign? A bad sign? No sign at all. Come to think of it, it probably depends on how many White Sox fans voted. Important note: Voting was done before news of Cubs pitcher Cade Horton's unavailability became official.

Poll No. 2: How far will the Cubs go in these playoffs?

Upshot: Expectations haven’t been this modest heading into a Cubs postseason since, let’s think for a minute, maybe 1998? Goodness, what a lineup that wasn’t. No offense to Mickey Morandini, Tyler Houston, Gary Gaetti and the rest of those fellas.

Poll No. 3: Will the Bears beat the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday?

Upshot: Winner evens its record at 2-2. Loser must report directly to the Luxor to see Carrot Top's show.