SAN DIEGO – It seems like nothing has been able to rattle the San Diego Padres so far this season.
Whether it’s been a spate of injuries, an early morning earthquake or trailing heading into the later innings, the Padres (14-3) continued to be locked in as they battered the Chicago Cubs late for a 10-4 win on Monday night at Petco Park.
Fernando Tatis Jr. had two home runs and three RBIs and Gavin Sheets laced the ultimate game-winning two RBI single in the sixth as San Diego scored nine runs and worked all seven of their walks over the final three innings.
"You just keep showing what we're capable of as a team," Tatis said. "Everybody's on track, everybody's moving the line, it's just really good baseball that's going on here."
The game turned after the fifth inning where the Padres saw only 10 pitches.
It started when Manny Machado worked an 11-pitch walk with one out in the sixth to chase Chicago starter Jameson Taillon. Sheets then blooped a single a third of the way up the left field line that found green between three Cubs, with Xander Bogaerts following up with a full count walk to load the bases.
"Both Manny (Machado) and Tatis have really, really made people come in the zone and pay when they come in the zone," said Padres manager Mike Shildt. "Manny's at bat really set the tone for that inning."
Jose Iglesias then hit a soft roller up the third base line that reliever Brad Keller had no play on the plate Machado. Jason Heyward brought home Sheets on a hot shot up the middle that Dansby Swanson knocked down behind the bag with a dive, then back to back strikeouts ended the inning with the game tied 3-3.
The Padres continued to put game pressure on in the seventh as Nate Pearson came on in relief, with Tatis working a lead off walk. Then Luis Arraez hit a sharply lined double just off the bag at first that ricocheted off Michael Busch and Machado was intentionally walked to load the bases.
With the fourth-largest Petco Park crowd of 47,078 roaring “Holy Sheets,” Pearson bounced a 1-0 slider in the dirt to the backstop which allowed Tatis to score the go ahead run. Sheets then ripped a full-count fastball to right field, knocking in both Arraez and Machado for a 6-3 lead.
"The crowd on your side is huge, it feeds us (and) creates momentum for us, everybody can see it and feel it this year," Tatis said.
San Diego added additional insurance in the eight after the Cubs clawed a run back on an RBI double by Miguel Amaya that scored Pete Crow-Armstrong. Elias Díaz worked a lead off walk, then Tatis crushed a middle-high fastball out of the park to left center field. Arraez followed up by turning on an inside pitch and ripping his second depth charge of the year down the line in right field.
Tatis had put the Padres in front in the third inning, locking in on Taillon’s sweeper and cracking a line drive home run out to left field for his team-leading fifth long ball of the year. After reaching for a sweeper that was low and well outside on the first pitch of the at bat, Tatis made no mistake on one that was just off the middle of the plate to make it 1-0 after the third.
Chicago’s response was swift, as Justin Turner led off the fourth by reaching on an error on a line shot to third that ate up Machado. Busch followed up by teeing off on a middle-away slider, smashing his fourth home run of the year to right center.
It snapped a 37 inning scoreless streak by Padres pitchers. After notching four of his six strikeouts the first time through the Chicago lineup, Padres starter Dylan Cease allowed seven hits and three runs (two earned) with an intentional walk in 5 2/3 innings.
"I thought Dylan was fantastic, (he) gave up the one two-run home run, but other than that I thought his stuff was really good tonight," Shildt said. "His fastball had a ton of life to it, his slider was good."
Nico Hoerner then hit a one-out double down the left field line and was brought home by a double to right field by Crow-Anderson to give the Cubs a 3-1 lead. It could’ve been more, were it not for a sparkling backhand stop and fire by Bogaerts that Arraez stretched to make the pick at first to retire Swanson, then Cease catching Crow-Armstrong leaving second early for a 1-5-4 caught stealing.
Adrian Morejon earned the win by working a scoreless seventh, with Pearson taking the loss. Alek Jacob came in for the final out of the sixth inning, stranding a runner at third by forcing a soft pop out to first, while Josh Adam pitched the eighth and Wandy Peralta closed out the ninth.
Taillon finished with 5 1/3 innings, three hits and two (earned) runs with four strikeouts and a walk for the Cubs, who also saw Keller get tagged for an earned run and Eli Morgan surrender four runs over 2/3 an inning before being lifted due to an injury.
Game two of the series will feature Randy Vásquez starting for the Padres, with Shota Imanaga getting the nod for the Cubs in the 6:40 p.m. start at Petco Park.
"The game is so beautiful, right, there's so many different opportunities," Shildt said. "I said it our first day of spring training together last year, 'do what the game calls for,' and you don't know what that is but you know but you know what the possibilities are.
"So if you're prepared for what those possibilities are – you've worked on them, if you're mentally ready for them... This group does it in every facet of the game."
This story was updated at 10:52 p.m.
