Fernando Tatis Jr. ripped a two-run single in the seventh inning to give the San Diego Padres the lead in their 5-3 win over the host Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.
Down 3-2 in the seventh, San Diego got a leadoff single from Ha-Seong Kim (two hits) and Trent Grisham drew a walk. Each moved up on Jose Azocar’s sacrifice. Then Tatis grounded the ball under diving Cubs third baseman Patrick Wisdom and into left field off Brandon Hughes (0-1) to score both runners as the Padres evened the three-game set at a win apiece.
Tatis added some insurance with a ninth-inning RBI single.
Jake Cronenworth had a two-run triple and Xander Bogaerts singled to extend his on-base streak to 28 regular-season games going back to last season as San Diego won for the fifth time in seven games.
Padres starter Michael Wacha allowed three runs and four hits while striking out five and walking one in five innings. Nick Martinez (2-1) followed with three scoreless innings, and Josh Hader picked up his ninth save in as many chances.
Trey Mancini clubbed a two-run homer for one of his two hits and Nico Hoerner pushed his own on-base streak to 21 games with a tiebreaking RBI single in the fifth for the Cubs, who have dropped four of six after winning four straight.
Chicago’s Drew Smyly, who took a perfect game into the eighth against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, gave up two runs, four hits and a walk through five innings on Wednesday. He struck out four.
After being held to five hits during Tuesday’s 6-0 loss in the series opener, San Diego had three in the fourth inning alone, highlighted by Cronenworth’s triple into the right field corner.
However, Chicago tied things in the bottom of the inning. Seiya Suzuki blooped a two-out single to center, then scored on Mancini’s third home run of the season deep into the left field bleachers.
The Cubs took a 3-2 lead in the fifth with Hoerner’s two-out line-drive hit into center field with a man on third.
–Field Level Media
