Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (4/27/23): Cubs 5, Padres 2 – Cubs Homer Their Way to Series Victory
The Cubs had split the first two games with a talented Padres team and aimed to win the series at a sunny Wrigley Field Thursday afternoon. Chicago got some power and pitched well enough to get the win in the rubber match.
San Diego took the lead in the top of the 2nd when Manny Machado homered to left field off Hayden Wesneski. The Cubs responded in the bottom of the frame against Seth Lugo with back-to-back homers from Eric Hosmer and Nelson Velázquez. Padres center fielder Trent Grisham lost a Tucker Barnhart pop-up in the sun that dropped for an RBI single to give the home team a 3-1 lead.
Goin' Back 2 Back pic.twitter.com/0U2RJ25D5j
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) April 27, 2023
Ian Happ knocked in a run with a single in the bottom of the 5th inning and Dansby Swanson finally got his first Cubs home run, a solo shot into the left field basket, to make it 5-1 in the 7th.
A Matt Carpenter sacrifice fly cut the advantage to three in the top of the 8th but that was as close as San Diego would get. Brad Boxberger got the save to secure the Cubs victory. (Box score)
Key Moment
Fernando Tatis Jr. represented the tying run with two men on base and two outs in the top of the 7th inning. Keegan Thompson got him to ground to third base, where Nick Madrigal made a nifty play to throw him out at first and end the threat.
Why the Cubs Won
They were able to keep a powerful Padres lineup mostly in the park with the wind blowing out to left and hit three long balls of their own.
Stats That Matter
- Wesneski was solid and David Ross pulled him after five, though he probably could have gone one more inning: 5 IP, 1 H, 4 H, 3 K, and 1 BB.
- Swanson had two hits after going hitless the first two games of the series.
- Nico Hoerner singled to extend his on-base streak to 22.
- Michael Fulmer bounced back with a clean inning in the 6th Thursday.
Bottom Line
The Cubs have won five of their first seven series in 2023, exactly what you want to see. Wesneski was better on Thursday and will remain in the rotation as long as he can keep settling in. They keep holding their own against very good teams and beat up on the only really bad team they’ve faced so far, so they’re following a pretty clear path to competitiveness.
On Deck
The Cubs head to South Florida for three games with the Miami Marlins starting Friday at 5:40pm CT. Marcus Stroman takes on left-hander Jesús Luzardo in a contest that will air on Marquee and 670 The Score.
