The Chicago Cubs dropped the series opener 10-4 to the San Diego Padres. On a night where their starting pitching was great, the Cubs’ bullpen crumbled against a fantastic Padres lineup.
Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. would get the scoring started in this one with a solo blast in the bottom of the third inning. Taillion left a breaking ball in the heart of the zone, and Tatis did not miss it.
Cubs’ hitters stay hot
But the Cubs would quickly respond to that homer with a homer of their own. The red-hot Michael Busch hit a homer with Justin Turner on base in the top of the fourth inning. This gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead.
A few batters later, Pete Crow-Armstrong would double to score Nico Hoerner and give the Cubs a 3-1 advantage.
Jameson Tailloon would leave the game in the bottom of the sixth. In 5.1 innings pitched, Taillon allowed two runs, three hits, and just one walk. He pitched well for the Cubs and put them in a position to win this game.
Another disastrous night from the bullpen
In the bottom of the sixth, some sloppy defense allowed the Padres to cut the lead to 3-2. A blop single resulted in an awkward play from the left side of the Cubs’ defense. Afterward, a swinging bunt resulted in a lucky base hit.
Then, former Cub Jason Heyward tied the game with a single up the middle.
Nate Pearson entered the seventh and was disastrous for the cubs. He walked Tatis, allowed a double to Luis Arraz, and then intentionally walked Machado. He then threw a wild pitch that allowed Tatis to score from there and gain the lead.
Afterward, a Gavin Sheets single would score Arraz and Machado, making it 6-3.
Pearson would end the night with just eight of his twenty pitches landing for strikes. He would record just one out, allow two hits, walk three batters, and allow three Padre runs to score.
In the eighth, the Cubs would not go down without a fight. After Crow-Armstrong registered his third hit of the night, Miguel Amaya scored him on a double to make it 6-4.
But Tatis would smash another homer, making the game 8-4 and effectively ending any hope for a Cubs comeback. And to add insult to injury, Padres’ slap-hitter Luis Arraez would hit his first homer of the season to make it 9-4. Another Padre run would make it 10-4 in the bottom of the eighth.
The Cubs bullpen reared its ugly head again tonight, and it cost the Cubs dearly in this one.
In the ninth, the Cubs offense did nothing significant, and they would end up losing 9-4.
Let’s move on to Game Two
The Cubs drop the first game of the series in San Diego, on a game they could have easily won with a competent bullpen. The clock is ticking to see how the Cubs address their thin bullpen and depleted rotation.
The Cubs and Padres will square off in Game Two tomorrow. The Cubs will hand the ball to ace Shota Imanaga, while the Padres will give way to Randy Vasquez.
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