The Cubs got an outstanding pitching performance to mount a comeback victory over the Padres in Game 1 of the Wild Card series Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, it was San Diego that received a tremendous performance from their hurlers as they shut out Chicago to win Game 2 and force a decisive final game.
Opener Andrew Kittredge gave up consecutive singles to begin the top of the 1st inning. He escaped major damage, allowing only a sacrifice fly to Jackson Merrill that gave the Pads a 1-0 lead. The North Siders could not figure out starter Dylan Cease and failed to scratch out a run against him in four-plus innings.
Shōta Imanaga took over in the 2nd, doing a decent job until he ran into trouble in the 5th. He faced Manny Machado with a runner on second and two out. Imanaga’s first offering caught way too much of the plate and the big San Diego third baseman crushed it for a two-run homer that made the score 3-0.
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The Cubs were completely overmatched by the dominant Padres bullpen and went pretty quietly the rest of the way. Chicago never even got a runner to third base as they went down to a 3-0 defeat. (Box score)
Key Moment
Michael Soroka was warming up and ready to face Machado in the 5th inning. With a base open, Imanaga could have walked Machado to face the lefty Merrill who was on deck. It made very little sense to have the lefty go after the future Hall of Famer and the Cubs paid for it.
Why the Cubs Lost
The lineup was completely shut down and not even a perfect pitching performance would have given them a win.
Stats That Matter
- Imanaga did a fine job and should not have been in there to face Machado: 4 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 3 K, 2 BB.
- Seiya Suzuki had Chicago’s only extra-base hit with a double in the 4th.
Bottom Line
The season is going to come down to Thursday afternoon. The first goal is going to have to be scoring early and trying to establish a lead. These first two contests make it abundantly clear you do not want to fall behind this nasty Padres bullpen. There is no more time for excuses or waiting for the next game; it’s put up or shut up time for the North Siders.
On Deck
The third and deciding game of the series is Thursday at 2:08pm CT. Jameson Taillon gets the start against old friend Yu Darvish in a contest airing exclusively on ABC with a radio feed on 670 The Score.
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