Chicago Bats Silenced as Cubs Fall 3-0 to Padres and Drop Series

The Chicago Cubs found some walk-off magic on Tuesday to even the series with the San Diego Padres. With a quick turnaround, the Cubs were looking for a series win over their NL West opponent. 

Tale of the Tape

The Padres were not phased by the quick turnaround on Wednesday. After Hayden Wesneski hit Luis Arraez in the first plate appearance of the game, Arraez advanced to second on a groundout by Jake Cronenworth. Manny Machado followed Cronenworth with a single that, with Arraez in motion, scored the Padres' newest addition to give them a 1-0 lead. 

Then, the pitchers settled in. 

Neither team sent more than five hitters to the dish in innings two through four. Both pitchers cruised through the early portion of the game. However, some unfortunate luck plagued Wesneski as the game waned into the middle frames. 

The Padres threatened once again in the top of the fifth. Luis Campusano reached on a single following a quick out to begin the inning. Arraez came up two batters later and added another single before Fernando Tatis Jr.'s single scored the catcher Campusano from second base. The Padres promptly took a 2-0 lead. 

After Tatis Jr.'s single, Cronenworth clubbed a double down the left field line, scoring Arraez from second. Fortunately, the Cubs kept it to a one-run double. Wesneski retired Machado to escape the jam but the Padres led 3-0.

The Cubs' offense could not do anything against Dylan Cease. With 113 pitches, Cease cruised through 7.0 innings of work. Cease only allowed one hit and two walks while fanning 12 Cubs batters. The former Cubs draft pick took it to the organization that drafted him. 

The Cubs were then shut down the rest of the way. Yan Gomes' third-inning infield single was the only hit the Cubs had all day. LHP Wandy Peralta and RHP Robert Suarez guided the Padres through the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. 

The bullpen was good for the Cubs as Richard Lovelady, Adbert Alzolay, and Keegan Thompson allowed one hit and one walk collectively between the three, but the bats went ice cold, leading to the 3-0 loss on Wednesday. 

Bats Are Cold as Ice

Following an electric night on Tuesday at Wrigley Field, the Cubs went quiet on Wednesday. The bats managed a respectable tally on Tuesday (three runs on 10 hits), but Wednesday was far from that. The team as a whole had three total baserunners via Yan Gomes' infield hit and two Dylan Cease-issued walks. Other than that, the Cubs were silenced on the base paths. 

Hayden Wesneski was not bad in his 6.0+ innings of work. Unfortunately, some weak contact in the right places gave the Padres their three runs, all they needed with the silenced Cubs bats. 

Luckily for the Cubs, Seiya Suzuki is nearing a return. He recorded two hits, scored two runs, and walked in his three at-bats for the Iowa Cubs on Wednesday. Ideally, he will add another jolt of energy to the lineup this weekend in Pittsburgh. 

What's On Tap Next?

The Cubs will venture east to Pittsburgh for a three-game set with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Mother's Day weekend. Friday's first pitch is scheduled 5:40 p.m. CDT with RHP Jameson Taillon expected on the bump for the Cubs. RHP and 2023 first overall pick Paul Skenes is expected to debut in Saturday's game.