Apr 6, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; San Diego Padres third base Manny Machado (13) dive into first base against the Chicago Cubs during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images
Chicago, Illinois – It’s been a rough trip to Chicago for the Padres, but Sunday’s final game in this stretch was a nail biter for fans of down and dirty Southern California baseball.
After whiffing the first two games of their first road series of the season, the Padres trailed behind the Cubs 7-3 with the promise of a Chicago sweep all too real. That’s when the “grit squad” locked in, took chances and rallied to a 8-7 win.
San Diego’s first three runs all happened in the 1st inning. Wildly enough, none of these point scoring balls even made it to the outfield. Jake Cronenworth was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Xander Bogaerts beat out an infield RBI single, and Jason Heyward drew a bases loaded walk. Not the most iconic way to start off a comeback, but a point’s a point. Then the next few innings happened.
Kyle Hart just couldn’t get it going. He walked his first two hitters before giving up an RBI single to Kyle Tucker. That’s when things turned sour. Nico Hoerner hit a double, then two more walks tied the game 3-3; Hart was sent back to the bench. Logan GIllaspie followed up Hart’s time on the mound by having a pair of balks called, bring things up to 5-3 with Chicago sitting on top.
Gillaspie went another four innings where he allowed two more runs, bumping the cubs up to a 7-3 advantage. At the time it must have felt like lights out in Wrigley Stadium, but the Padres weren’t ready to go home just yet.
In the 4th inning Manny Machado hit a single, and Jackson Merrill popped a 2-run home run straight through centerfield to bring us up to 7-5. In the next inning, Arraez popped a singe, the second of four hits, to put Elias Diaz over home place and bring this to a one-run game.
Our boys tied it up in the 8th inning when Merrill walked, stole second base, and then made it home on a Gavin Sheets RBI single. Adrian Morejon, Jeremiah Estrada, and Jason Adam combined for just over three innings of hard playing ball without letting one more point through for the Cubs, which brings us to the 9th inning.
With two runners on and one out, Machado smacked a ground ball to the shortstop, this should have been a game over double play. However, first baseman Justin Turner, formerly of the Dodgers, dropped the relay throw. This set the stage for Tatis Jr. to go home with the run that put the Padres on top.
This barn burner of a game kept the Cubs from sweeping the Padres and moved San Diego to 8-2 to start the season. Tonight they’ll be facing Oakland for a three game series with the A’s.
