Padres blank Cubs for first spring loss |
MESA - It took three games into the Spring season, but the Chicago Cubs actually had to play from behind for a change. Not only that, but it was the San Diego Padres who gave the Cubs a taste of their own medicine as they not only led from start to finish, but made life miserable for the Cubs and their hitters as the Cubs were held to three hits in a 7-0 loss.
While the overall results will never matter during spring, there are many positions up for grabs, and one of those spots happens to be the No. 5 starter in the rotation. Expecting things to be an open competition between Jordan Wicks, Javier Assad, Drew Smyly, and Hayden Wesneski, Craig Counsell has taken the meaning of competition to a new level as those are the guys who have started this spring. Today marked Assad's turn to show what he can do after putting together a very good 2023. Given his ability to pitch in the rotation or even out of the pen, Assad will make this team in some form, but today wasn't his best showing. Although his command wasn't terrible, he had difficulty locating his pitches, as a tight zone made things difficult. He pitched into the second, but couldn't get through that inning before allowing three runs which was more than enough for the Padres. A leadoff double for Jackson Merrill made things difficult right from the start. Still, Assad nearly managed to work around that jam only to have Kyle Higashioka deliver what was the game-winning sacrifice fly to put the Padres in front for good, 1-0. The Cubs did their best to respond in the bottom of the first with Ian Happ and Christopher Morel working a pair of walks, but were unable to come away with the big hit. Assad continued to struggle in the second inning as a pair of walks and a double from Jose Azucar loaded the bases with just one out. Needing a ground ball to potentially get out of that inning, Assad got the grounder he needed, but it was Merrill finding a hole through the left side of the infield to extend the Padres lead to 3-0. Assad would retire one more batter before handing things over to Blake Whitney and the rest of the Cubs arms. What a snag by Christopher Morel at the hot corner! pic.twitter.com/ovBp47e0JM One of the big stories of spring will be Daniel Palencia and how he fits in with this year's team. Armed with a big heater, Palencia moved from starter to reliever last season and pitched his way onto the MLB roster. He will look to do that again, but with lots of names competing for bullpen spots, it may be more challenging than he would like. Palencia got off to a great start with a dominating third inning, and he hopes that inning will set the tone for what is to come this spring. After former Cub Jeremiah Estrada blanked the Cubs in the third, the San Diego offense was back in business to begin the fourth as Azocar took Edwin Escobar deep to start the fourth and pushed the lead to 4-0. Escobar had a rough inning as he would walk two more batters later in the inning before being lifted for Jose Romero, who finished things off. With the Cubs still searching for their first hit in the fourth, a leadoff walk to Dansby Swanson got things rolling ahead of the one-out Yan Gomes single to set the Cubs up. Like in the first and, for the most part, last season, the big hit the Cubs needed wasn't there as they wasted another excellent scoring chance. By this point in the game, you started to see the substitutions happen, including having guys like Cam Sanders and Chris Clarke take the mound. Clark is the one to focus on here, as the former top-25 prospect was sent to the Seattle Mariners following the 2022 season before latching back on with the Cubs in 2023. Expected to start the season in AAA, Clarke is still learning his new role with the Cubs, but things didn't go well for him. Sure, having a leadoff error didn't help, but neither did a Kevin Plawecki single to put runners on the corners with no outs. Following a Eguy Rosario sacrifice fly to make things 5-0, Bryce Johnson and Marcos Castanon picked singles of their own load the bases. Clarke was able to retire the next two hitters, but with Tirso Ornelas adding another sacrifice fly, the lead grew to 6-0. It was in the bottom of the seventh when the Cubs looked as if they would finally score, and that all started with a Joe Hudson hit by pitch. A Brett Bateman bunt single followed that, and once again, the Cubs had a pair of runners on base with one out. However, give credit where credit is due, as the Padres pitchers did a phenomenal job of avoiding damage, with Ryan Bergert escaping without any damage to keep the shutout intact. The same can be said about the bottom of the eighth, with Moises Ballesteros picking up a one-out walk ahead of the Bryce Windham single, only to be held in check yet again. The Padres added an additional run off of Cayne Ueckert in the ninth inning, with Clay Dungan and Jakob Marsee picking up back-to-back doubles as the Padres rolled past the Cubs 7-0. With only three hits, there wasn't much to get excited about apart from the news that Cody Bellinger will be back with the team for the next three years. Chicago will return on the diamond tomorrow afternoon as they hit the road to take on the Kansas City Royals. Seiya Suzuki and Michael Busch are expected to make their spring debuts in that game. Final: Padres 7, Cubs 0. pic.twitter.com/OvvUmFXYx0 Dexter Fowler congratulates Cody Bellinger 🤝 pic.twitter.com/kKXrxzb8ey “His presence … within the clubhouse and in the lineup makes everybody else better.” No one loved the @Cubs like Ron Santo.
Nico Hoerner on Cody Bellinger.
Happy birthday, No. 10!
