The San Diego Padres took the series opener from the Chicago Cubs 9-7 and the Cubs exploded in the late innings to take game two 8-3.
The San Diego Padres dropped the second of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs 8-3 and are looking to win the rubber match on Wednesday.
The Cubs struck first in this one, jumping out to an early 2-0 lead on a Dansby Swanson two-run double in the second inning, which was answered by Padres shortstop Xander Bogaerts’ fifth home run of the season – a 389-foot solo shot into the Western Metal Supply Company building – during the next half-inning.
Padres first baseman Ty France evened up the score at 2 in the fourth inning with an RBI single to continue his hot streak before Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner roped a two-run double to right center in the sixth. Once again, the Padres answered in the bottom half of the inning, as catcher Luis Campusano singled France in to make it 4-3.
That would be the last run scored by San Diego, though, and Chicago added four more runs on a pinch-hit Alex Bregman single and a three-run homer by center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong in the seventh.
Padres right-hander Walker Buehler wasn’t sharp in this contest, but he kept the team in it with 4.2 innings of two-run ball on three hits and three walks with four strikeouts. He struggled to throw strikes, as only 48 of his 92 pitches landed in the strike zone, but he battled. Cubs righty Edward Cabrera threw 5.2 innings and allowed three runs on six hits and one walk while fanning seven, improving to 3-0 on the season.
The pitching matchup for the series finale is a battle of soft-throwing right-handers, Chicago’s Jameson Taillon and San Diego’s Matt Waldron.
Taillon has had three good outings and two not-so-good outings, but his last start was against the Los Angeles Dodgers, and allowing four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts over five innings is kind of impressive. He is 1-1 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.30 WHIP through 27.2 innings of work, and will face the following lineup:
1. Jackson Merrill (CF)
2. Fernando Tatis Jr. (RF)
3. Manny Machado (DH)
4. Bogaerts (SS)
5. France (1B)
6. Miguel Andujar (3B)
7. Jake Cronenworth (2B)
8. Nick Castellanos (LF)
9. Campusano (C)
Waldron has been roughed up in his two starts this season, and the knuckleballer is 0-1 with a 12.46 ERA and 2.31 WHIP across 8.2 innings. He has allowed six runs in each of his starts but was able to last five innings against the Colorado Rockies his last time out. Waldron will face this lineup:
1. Hoerner (SS)
2. Moises Ballesteros (DH)
3. Bregman (3B)
4. Ian Happ (LF)
5. Michael Busch (1B)
6. Michael Conforto (RF)
7. Matt Shaw (2B)
8. Crow-Armstrong (CF)
9. Miguel Amaya (C)
First pitch is at 1:10 p.m. PDT on MLB.TV and regional sports networks.