Padres take series from Cubs and start new home streak

San Diego, California – The Padres may have seen their record-setting home winning streak snapped on Tuesday night, but they wasted no time starting a new one.

Behind another dazzling outing from right-hander Nick Pivetta and a scrappy offensive performance highlighted by Tyler Wade’s unlikely heroics, San Diego topped the Cubs 4-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Petco Park. The victory secured the series for the Padres and improved their MLB-best record to 15-4, including a staggering 12-1 mark at home.

The win also matched the best 19-game start in franchise history, tying the 1998 squad that last took the Padres to the World Series.

It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t dominant. But it was exactly the kind of complete team win that’s come to define this resilient Padres club in the early going.

Nick Pivetta was masterful once again, continuing his run of dominance in his new home. In his third start at Petco Park, the right-hander allowed just one run across six innings, scattering four hits and a walk while striking out six. That brought his home ERA to a microscopic 0.45 — one run allowed in 20 innings.

“I’m commanding my fastball, really using my spin when I need to, getting ahead of guys,” Pivetta said. “When I fell behind, I gave up a run. But we bounced right back.”

Indeed, the Padres fell behind briefly in the third before responding immediately. Elias Díaz worked a walk, Tyler Wade singled, and Fernando Tatis Jr. slapped an infield hit to bring in Díaz. Manny Machado followed with a laser through the left side to score Wade and give San Diego a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Wade, batting out of the ninth spot, reached base four times — two hits and two walks — and scored twice. Not bad for a player who wasn’t even on the 40-man roster a week ago.

After Brandon Lockridge was sidelined last weekend, Wade stepped in. By Wednesday, with a lefty on the mound in Matt Boyd, he wasn’t even expected to start. But he did — and he made every moment count.

“I’m just trying to get to first base, whether it’s a walk, bunt — whatever it is,” Wade said. “Just to set the tone for the big boys at the top and let them do their thing.”

He did just that. Wade’s seventh-inning walk set up Machado’s RBI double, and another free pass in the eighth helped San Diego pad its lead when Tatis walked with the bases loaded.

Padres manager Mike Shildt called it a perfect example of what makes this 2025 squad so dangerous.

“It speaks to the depth,” Shildt said. “It speaks to the mentality of the team. It’s never going to be a straight line. It’s how you handle the deviations.”

No one embodies that better than Wade. On the eve of the season, he was the final cut. He cleared waivers. With five years of service time, he could have refused an outright assignment to Triple-A El Paso. He didn’t.

“I knew at some point I’d be back,” Wade said. “It was sooner rather than later. It’s good to be back. This place is family to me.”

He made that point loud and clear with his walk-up song, Eminem’s “Square Dance,” echoing through the stadium: “It feels so good to be back.”

After Pivetta’s six-strong innings, the Padres bullpen bent but didn’t break. Wandy Peralta surrendered a solo homer to Pete Crow-Armstrong in the eighth, but Robert Suarez slammed the door for his eighth save of the season.

The Padres now head out for a six-game road trip through Houston and Detroit, still missing a chunk of their expected roster — including Jackson Merrill, Jake Cronenworth, and Lockridge. And still, they keep winning.

“It’s just the whole group approach,” said Tatis. “Everybody feeds off each other.”

That’s been the story all season. And if Wednesday’s gritty win was any indication, the Padres have only just begun.