Tatis, Machado Power Padres to Series Win Over Cubs

[Dylan Gardner]

After a gutwrenching loss on Tuesday, the Padres returned to their winning ways, ensuring yet another series win and a happy flight to Houston.

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each delivered two RBIs, and Nick Pivetta turned in six strong innings as the San Diego Padres beat the Chicago Cubs 4–2 on Wednesday. The win in the rubber match allowed the Padres to avoid losing their second series of the season, not to mention their second to the Cubs.

With the win, the Padres improved to a major league-best 15-4 record, including a dominant 12-1 record at home. Their only blemish at Petco Park was Tuesday night’s 10-inning loss to the Cubs. The Cubs lead the Central with a 12-9 record and took two of three from the Padres earlier this month at Wrigley Field.

San Diego jumped ahead early as Tatis and Machado each drove in a run with RBI singles off Cubs lefty Matthew Boyd in the third inning. Machado added an RBI double in the seventh off Daniel Palencia, and Tatis capped his night by drawing a bases-loaded walk against Luke Little in the eighth.

The game marked a rematch of an April 5 showdown in Chicago, where Boyd outdueled Pivetta in a 7-1 Cubs victory. This time, Pivetta (3-1) flipped the script, allowing just one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out six and walked one in one of his sharpest outings of the young season. Boyd (1-2) was charged with two runs on six hits across 5 1/3 innings.

Robert Suarez continued his dominance out of the bullpen, locking down his league-leading eighth save with a perfect ninth.

The Cubs had a prime chance in the third after loading the bases with no outs, but managed only one run. Kyle Tucker lifted a sacrifice fly before Seiya Suzuki bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Pete Crow-Armstrong gave Chicago a jolt with a leadoff homer in the eighth off Wandy Peralta — his third of the year — but the Padres’ bullpen held firm the rest of the way.

Key Moment: Both of Machado’s RBI hits came with two outs, helping San Diego extend innings and apply pressure.

Fun Fact: Oscar Gonzalez's unfortunate fly out against Matthew Boyd in the sixth inning traveled 387 feet and had an expected batting average of .690. Although it came up short, it was the longest shot of the game. It would have not been a home run in 29 out of 30 parks. The one park where it would have been out: Wrigley Field.

After a day off on Thursday, the Padres will kick off a road trip with three games in Houston on Friday.

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