SAN DIEGO – After pitching their way out of jams all evening, the San Diego Padres finally didn’t have an answer late as they fell 2-1 to the Chicago Cubs in extra innings on Tuesday night at Petco Park.
Manny Machado hit a solo home run in the fifth inning, but after the Padres (14-4) staff was able to hold the Cubs (12-8) hitless with runners in scoring position through nine, Nico Hoerner led off the 10th with a triple off Yuki Matsui (0-1) to score ghost runner Dansby Swanson for the game-winning run.
“It was a good battle, they did a good job. We didn’t do much with runners in scoring position, but these things we won’t do sometimes so you tip your hat,” said Padres manager Mike Shildt.
In total the Padres staff combined to strand nine runners in scoring position and 14 total as starter Randy Vásquez scattered seven hits over five innings, allowing just a lone (earned) run with a pair of strikeouts and two walks.
“Randy’s been tremendous, we had another opportunity to get through five scoreless,” Shildt said.
Vásquez escaped a two-out, bases loaded jam in the third, and stranded two more runners in scoring position over the fourth and fifth.
In the sixth the Padres were able to hold the Cubs to a lone run after Swanson led off with a single and Hoerner hit a knock to move him to third and end Vásqez’s night and bring on Adrian Morejon. Pete Crow-Armstrong followed by reaching on a sacrifice bunt that Luis Arraez couldn’t make a play on to score Swanson.
Amaya sacrificed the runners to second and third, then Gage Workman hit a grounder to Arraez that the Padre first baseman fired home to get Hoerner. Morejon closed the book with a Happ flyout.
Jeremiah Estrada worked around a leadoff single and his throwing error on fielder’s choice with a pair of strikeouts to put up a zero in the seventh, then Jason Adam had a strikeout and left Jon Berti on second after he walked and stole second. Robert Suarez allowed a two-out double that was a few feet short of a home run in the ninth to Busch, but ended the ninth with a strikeout.
““I thought our bullpen was great, Yuki, that’s a tough situation – that triple, he leaves him out there and it was a heck of a job giving us a chance in the bottom half,” Shildt said.
A night removed from the Padres feasting on the bullpen, Chicago’s relievers held San Diego to a lone hit and did not allow a runner into scoring position.
Arraez had a leadoff single in the eighth that got erased by a double play, and the only other player to reach base for the Brown and Gold was Fernando Tatis Jr. after being intentionally walked in the 10th.
San Diego’s only run came after a wild set of circumstances on another battling at bat by Machado.
The first pitch of the at bat was hit foul down the right field line, and rolled around and out of Kyle Tucker’s glove before he could get his hand on top of it.
Then a popped up 2-1 fastball that went straight up the elevator shaft that Michael Busch couldn’t corral on the run.
Four foul balls later Machado turned on the fourth inside fastball on the ninth pitch of the at bat and launched it 400 feet to left center for his second round-tripper of the year.
“Not like last night (with) the 11-pitch at bat, tonight he had a couple balls that he had a break on or two,” Shildt said. “Just a quality at bat, seeing a lot of pitches and staying in the fight.”
Ryan Pressly (1-1) earned the win with a strike out and a pair of ground outs in the ninth inning, and Caleb Thielbar earned his first save of the season. Matsui’s lone run allowed was unearned as he took the loss, but was able to strand Hoerner on third with a shallow flyout and a pair of strikeouts.
The Padres close out the series with Nick Pivetta (2-1, 1.59 ERA) taking the hill against Matthew Boyd (1-1, 1.59 ERA) at 1:10 p.m. on Wednesday at Petco Park.
