In a matter of weeks, the San Diego Padres went from being in the direct fight for the lead in the National League West against the Los Angeles Dodgers, to being on the verge of elimination. On Tuesday, they fell 3-1 to the Chicago Cubs in Game 1 of the Wild Card Series and now they must win the second game if they do not want their season to end prematurely.
The Californian team had its ace, Nick Pivetta, on the mound, who dominated for four innings, allowing only one hit and retiring 11 consecutive batters. San Diego even took the lead in the second inning with consecutive doubles by Jackson Merril and Xander Bogaerts. But the script changed in the fifth: Seiya Suzuki tied the game with a monumental hit and Carson Kelly turned the score around with another hit.
What happened to Nick Pivetta and the Padres’ offense against the Cubs?
For much of the game, Pivetta was flawless, his control and rhythm on the mound giving Padres fans hope. However, a blink of an eye in the fifth was enough for the Cubs to react. In that inning, two swings changed everything, first Suzuki’s home run and then Kelly’s RBI hit. Thus, the Cubs went from being on the ropes to taking a 2-1 lead
From there, San Diego’s offense disappeared. Left-hander Matthew Boyd did a solid job for Chicago in 4.1 innings and the bullpen completed the rest without allowing opportunities. Reliever Daniel Palencia dominated with authority, while Andrew Kittredge and Brad Keller closed out the game. The Padres faded to the point of recording 11 straight batters retired.
When do the Padres vs Cubs play Game 2?
Game 2 of the series will be played on Wednesday at 1:08 p.m. ET and the man tasked with avoiding elimination will be Dylan Cease, one of the most reliable pitchers on the staff. Cease will have to face a Cubs lineup that has proven to be opportunistic and effective at key moments, something that San Diego could not match in the first game.
San Diego will look to rely on its heavy hitters such as Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Bogaerts, who were completely nullified in the first game. The Padres go into the matchup with no margin for error, as a loss would see them go from fighting for the division against the Dodgers to saying goodbye to the playoffs in just two days
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