Bats betray Darvish, Padres drop series finale to Cubs 3-1
Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Petco Park- San Diego, California
The Padres and Cubs squared off in the rubber match of the series on a sunny Wednesday afternoon. It was a matchup of two accomplished veteran pitchers in Jake Arrieta for Chicago and Yu Darvish for the Padres.
The pitcher’s duel lived up to the hype as both pitchers allowed just one run through six innings.
The Padres struck first in the third inning. Tommy Pham got a one-out single and stole a base ahead of Manny Machado, who lined a single down the left-field line, scoring Pham. It was a sight for sore eyes as the Padres were six for their previous 56 with runners in scoring position.
The lead was short-lived as Joc Pederson launched a solo shot in the fourth off of Darvish, and stutter-stepped around third base, in response to Fernando Tatis Jr.’s signature move.
Yu Darvish, 92mph Splitter (foul) and 96mph Fastball (swinging K), Individual Pitches + Overlay.
That's mean. 😂 pic.twitter.com/IeKlKu0Kdn
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 9, 2021
The two sides traded two scoreless frames before the Cubs took the lead in the seventh. After a leadoff walk and a single sent the runner to third, Anthony Rizzo grounded into a double play, but the Padres conceded the run in order to get the two outs, giving Chicago a 2-1 lead. The end of the top of the seventh marked the end of Darvish’s outing. He finished with seven innings pitched, allowing just three hits and two runs with eight strikeouts in yet another solid outing.
This marks the sixth time this season Darvish has completed seven innings, by far the most on the staff. It was also the sixth time in 13 starts that Darvish has struck out at least eight.
“He (Darvish) was really good. He had all of his pitches working. Lots of first-pitch strikes. He had everything working,” manager Jayce Tingler said of his ace following another solid outing.
Meanwhile, the Padres bats were anemic the majority of the game. The offensive struggles continue as they had zero extra-base hits with 11 strikeouts. Answers need to come and fast for this slumping lineup.
The Cubs added on in the top of the eighth with a solo home run by Sergio Alcantara off of Emilio Pagan, extending the Cubs’ lead to 3-1. Tim Hill pitched a scoreless ninth to give the Padres a chance to mount the comeback. However, Craig Kimbrel came in and closed the door against his former team with a 1-2-3 bottom of the ninth inning. The Cubs got the win and the series victory.
The Padres drop to 3-7 in their last 10 games. The Padres will finally have a day off after playing 20 straight games. The Padres will head to New York for a three-game set with the Mets starting on Friday with Blake Snell going up against Jacob deGrom.
Native of Escondido, CA. Lived in San Diego area for 20 years. Padres fan since childhood (mid-90s). I have been writing since 2014. I currently live near Seattle, WA and am married to a Seattle sports girl. I wore #19 on my high school baseball team for Tony Gwynn. I am a stats and sports history nerd. I attended BYU on the Idaho campus. I also love Star Wars.