Cubs Continue To Be Padres Kryptonite in Extra-Inning Loss

[Davy Andrews]

One more game against the Cubs. Just one more.

The good news is that after today's game, the Padres won't have to play the Cubs again all season. On Tuesday, the Padres fell to the Cubs, 2-1, in 10 innings. The Padres are now 2-3 against the Cubs and 12-1 against all teams that aren't the Cubs. 

The good news was that Randy Vásquez made his fourth start of the season and continued run of his dominance, allowing just earned run over five innings and change. However, it was not exactly breezy. Vásquez allowed seven hits and two walks, striking out just two batters and notching just one clean inning, the first. So far, Vásquez has largely succeeded by way of stranding runners and limiting hard contact, and both of those tricks can be difficult to sustain over a full season.

Chicago ace Shota Imanaga was not his usual dominant self. He got out of the first cleanly, but walked a batter in the second, then allowed two singles and a walk in the third to load the bases with one out. However, the left-hander worked out of the trouble, striking out Manny Machado and inducing a foul popup from Xander Bogaerts. The Dads finally got on the scoreboard in the fifth inning. In an absurd series of events, the Cubs dropped two straight foul popups off the bat of Manny Machado, and Machado made them pay for it with a no-doubt, 400-foot home run to left field.

The Cubs would equalize quickly. Vásquez pitched into the sixth inning, but was pulled after allowing two straight singles to start the frame. Adrián Morejón took the ball, and the Cubs immediately got on the board. Pete Crow-Armstrong executed a safety squeeze and the charging Luis Arráez was unable to get the ball out of his glove cleanly. 

The bullpens would go on to trade scoreless frames until the top of the 10th. Yuki Matsui came in to pitch and finally allowed his first run of the season, with a little help from the Manfred Man. Leadoff batter Nico Hoerner knocked in the zombie runner with a triple into the right field gap. Matsui would recover beautifully, inducing a weak fly out and two swinging strikeouts to end the frame, but the damage was done.

Caleb Thielbar came in to earn the save for the Cubs in the 10th. After leadoff batter Connor Joe struck out, zombie runner Jose Iglesias stole third. Pinch-hitter Elias Díaz grounded out to the pitcher, which didn't allow Iglesias to score the tying run. The Cubs decided to walk Fernando Tatis Jr. to get to Arráez, which turned out to be a good call. He flied out to left to end the game. “We’re obviously there until the end,” Machado told reporters after the game. “We just couldn’t capitalize on that one hit. We created some opportunities … couldn’t deliver. Yeah, sometimes it goes that way.”

In the 56-year history of the Padres, two clubs have played each other a total of 523 times, 528 if you count the playoffs. The Cubs hold a commanding 285-238 lead. However, the Padres lead 87-80 since 2000. More importantly, they hold the edge in the playoffs, taking the heavily favored Cubs down, three games to two, in the 1984 National League Championship season. Maybe the Padres shold be hoping to get one more series against Chicago.

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