SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The San Diego Padres defeated the Chicago Cubs, 3-0, in Game 2 of the National League Wild Card Series to stave off elimination.
The ever-reliable veteran Manny Machado hit a two-run homer off of Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga in the 5th inning, and the bullpen protected the 3-run lead for the remainder of the contest. The Friars initially got on the board in the 1st inning by way of a Jackson Merrill sacrifice fly; Fernando Tatis Jr. scored the run after he had stolen third base.
Starting pitcher Dylan Cease looked sharp during his short stint on the mound, striking out five batters while allowing three hits. Manager Mike Shildt elected to rely on the bullpen early, subbing in Adrian Morejon with one out left in the 4th inning. This was after Cease gave up a double to Seiya Suzuki and intentionally walked Carson Kelly (Cease's lone walk of the game, mind you).
Morejon got out of the jam by way of a Pete Crow-Armstrong groundout, then went 1-2-3 in both the 5th and 6th innings.
All-Star pitcher Mason Miller took the mound in the 7th and put his stuff on display right away, striking out Suzuki with a 103 mph fastball. The next batter, Carson Kelly, was shown no mercy either: Miller pinged the corner opposite of Kelly with a 104 mph pitch to earn a backwards K.
Miller switched things up against the next batter, breaking out his slider against Crow-Armstrong to strike him out.
At this point, Miller was untouchable in Wrigley; including Game 1, he struck out all six batters he faced. In the 8th, Miller struck out two more batters before hitting Michael Busch with a pitch. Closer Robert Suarez was tapped in to secure the final four outs for the Friars. Nico Hoerner hit a line drive that appeared destined to touch grass, but Tatis closed in on it, extending his reach to make the acrobatic catch.
At the top of the final frame, the Padres batters were quickly retired as all three grounded out. Ian Happ sent a fly ball deep into left field for the first out in the bottom of the 9th. The next batter, Kyle Tucker, singled on a line drive towards Tatis Jr., giving the Cubs new life.
Suarez threw a 100 mph fastball right down the middle on the first pitch of Suzuki's ensuing at-bat. On the next pitch, he caught Suzuki chasing a 101 mph fastball at the top of the zone. Suarez went high again, but Suzuki stayed disciplined to draw the ball. Suzuki made contact on the next two 100 mph fastballs from Suarez, both going foul.
Suarez went high again, but Suzuki didn't bite. Suarez's next pitch hit the dirt. Full count.
On the eighth pitch of the at-bat, Suzuki grounded the ball towards Xander Bogaerts, who converted the double play to secure the victory for San Diego.
Although the Padres got the win this time around, their offensive struggles were still evident: The team went 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. That's a lot of missed opportunities to generate run support and peace of mind.
Game 3 will take place Thursday at Wrigley Field. It's unclear at this point when first pitch will be, since the outcomes of the other Wild Card games impact the broadcast schedule.
