*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune*
When the San Diego Padres are playing like this, it's going to be a long night for their opponent. Manny Machado drove in a run, Eric Hosmer brought in two runs, and the Padres defeated the Chicago Cubs with a 4-1 victory on Monday night in Chicago.
After dropping two straight games in a series split with the Colorado Rockies, the Padres came out humming right along, riding the contributions of dominant pitching and timely hitting, improving to 38-24 on the season, having won 7 out of their last 10 games.
The dominant pitching in this one came from former Cub Yu Darvish. In his return to Wrigley Field, he carved up the Cubs and got credited with the win. By getting the win, Darvish has beaten every team in the majors except for the Baltimore Orioles and the Texas Rangers.
Padres acting manager Ryan Flaherty said of Darvish that "He's really a magician with the ball. He can get himself back into any count. And he falls behind 2-1, 3-1, and he can get himself back. It just makes it harder on a hitter because even when you get the count in your favor, you can’t sit dead red on the fastball."
Despite the Padres win, it was the Cubs who got on the board first. In the second inning, Yan Gomes made it 1-0 Cubs when he hit a solo home run, out to left field. One inning later, in the 3rd inning, Jake Cronenworth hit an RBI single, scoring Jurickson Profar and tying the game up at a 1-1 score after one 3rd of the game.
It stayed 1-1 until the 8th inning. There, Profar scored on a single by Machado, going to right field to put the Padres ahead 2-1. The lead then increased to 4-1 when Hosmer doubled to right center field, scoring Machado and Cronenworth to all but seal the win.
While getting the win in his start, Darvish was very sharp and effective. He improved to 6-3 on the season, allowing one run on 5 hits, walking no one and striking out 7 hitters over 8 innings pitched. That left just Taylor Rogers to come in, who got the save in the 9th inning, his 19th of the year.
Darvish said of his return to Wrigley Field that "To be honest with you, it was a little bit of a sentimental moment for me. The tornado warning came in, and everybody left. The fans left the stands. It was like a moment between myself and Wrigley Field."
It was Justin Steele who got the start for the Cubs, having a great start as well. Steele allowed one run on 6 hits, walking no one and striking out 3 over 7 innings pitched. Rowan Wick got the loss, allowing 3 runs while recording just one out. Scott Effross finished the 8th for Wick, and Brandon Hughes pitched a scoreless 9th inning.
Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward was upbeat postgame, saying that "We got another game; it’s a 162-game season. Keep fighting. Those days will happen. It doesn’t matter what your record is. Some of the best teams have tough days, tough series, tough weekends. That’s part of it."
Up next, the Padres and Cubs continue their series on Tuesday night. The Padres will send lefty Sean Manaea to the hill, while Kyle Hendricks starts for the Cubs.
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