Cubs 3, Padres 2: Seiya Suzuki walks it off

The Cubs started a six-game homestand on a sultry, humid Monday at Wrigley Field coming off a really profitable 6-1 street journey.

And then the bats fell principally silent and you may have been forgiven for those who thought, “Here we go again.”

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In the top, although, the Cubs obtained stable pitching from Shōta Imanaga and the bullpen and simply sufficient offense. Seiya Suzuki’s walk-off single within the ninth inning gave the Cubs their third win in a row and thirteenth of their final 17 video games, 3-2 over the Padres. The staff’s document in one-run video games improved to 15-9.

The first two innings have been scoreless, and the Cubs once more didn’t benefit from an early runner in scoring place. Pete Crow-Armstrong led off the primary with a stroll and Alex Bregman singled. But Michael Busch was known as out on strikes (after a Padres ABS problem) and Suzuki hit right into a double play.

The Padres took a 1-0 lead within the third, after which three San Diego hits within the fourth made it 2-0 off Imanaga.

That was all of the Padres would rating.

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The Cubs obtained one run again within the backside of the fourth. With one out, Suzuki doubled. One out later, afer Nico Hoerner was hit by a pitch, a single by Michael Conforto scored Suzuki [VIDEO].

The Cubs tied the sport up within the fifth. Dansby Swanson led off the inning with a double. One out later, the bases have been loaded on a pair of walks to Bregman and Busch.

Suzuki lifted a sac fly to center, scoring Swanson [VIDEO].

Remember when PCA misplaced a fly ball within the lights a couple of weeks in the past? Same time of the night, identical factor occurred to Jackson Merrill of the Padres. He recovered to catch the ball, in any other case a number of runs might need scored on that play.

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Both groups had scoring possibilities within the sixth. The Padres obtained their first two runners on by way of hit, however Imanaga retired the following three so as. The Cubs had the bases loaded with two out within the backside of the inning, however Bregman flied to deep right field [VIDEO].

Imanaga was lifted with one out within the seventh. He did enable 9 hits, however didn’t stroll anybody and struck out for. Best of all, on a heat, breezy night with the wind blowing out at 15 miles per hour, he saved the ball within the yard, not permitting a house run. More on Imanaga’s night from BCB’s JohnW53:

This was simply the sixth of Imanga’s 71 begins as a Cub through which he gave up a minimum of 9 hits. The Cubs have been 1-4 within the earlier 5. The win was by 5-4 over the Cardinals on Aug. 1, 2024, when he gave up 10 hits in 6.2 innings. All six video games have been in Chicago: 5 at Wrigley Field and one, with a career-high 12 hits, on the South Side vs. the White Sox on July 25 of final yr.

This was Imanaga’s seventh high quality begin, three greater than every other Cub. Edward Cabrera and Jameson Taillon have 4; Ben Brown and Colin Rea, three; Javier Assad, two; Matthew Boyd and Cade Horton, one. The Cubs started Monday with 24 QS, tied with Reds for twenty third most. Blue Jays have been subsequent, with 19. Astros led Cubs by one, with 25. Dodgers led all groups by far, with 47. Red Sox had 39; Royals, 38; and Mariners, 37

And more on Imanaga’s outing [VIDEO].

Gavin Hollowell, simply returned on account of an damage to Ethan Roberts, struck out Fernando Tatis Jr. and Samad Taylor to finish the seventh. But the Cubs additionally went down 1-2-3 within the backside of that inning.

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The Padres loaded the bases off Hollowell and Caleb Thielbar within the eighth, however Thielbar then obtained Freddy Fermin to pop to Hoerner in brief proper to finish the inning. The Cubs once more went down 1-2-3 and at this level I believe you have been simply hoping the Cubs may get the sport to extras.

Trent Thornton entered to throw the ninth. With one out, Tatis singled off Nico’s glove. Miguel Amaya then threw out Tatis trying to steal second (“call stands” after review) [VIDEO].

So the Cubs at the moment are in a state of affairs the place the one approach they’ll win is by walk-off, one thing they’d already performed 9 instances this yr.

They obtained the profitable run to scoring place on a few excuse-me hits. Swanson hit a ball that Manny Machado couldn’t deal with, dominated a single. PCA blooped an opposite-field single [VIDEO].

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The Padres summoned Mason Miller, presumably essentially the most unhittable pitcher within the sport at this time. Miller entered this sport having allowed solely 14 hits in 129 whole batters confronted, and he’d struck out 66 of them, a ridiculous 51.1 % strikeout fee.

The first batter he confronted was Bregman, who, as you understand, has struggled all yr.

Bregman smacked a no-doubt line drive single up the center, loading the bases.

Then this happened [VIDEO].

Swanson appeared to go on his personal; you possibly can see third-base coach Quintin Berry not make any sign to him in any respect. The ball was very shallow in left and personally, I believed it was a foul thought to go.

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Both PCA and Bregman moved up on that play, and Suzuki then ended the game with this long drive to left [VIDEO].

That missed being a three-run homer by perhaps six ft. The ensuing single was adequate for the Cubs’ Tenth walk-off win of the season. Walk-off notes from John:

This was Suzuki’s 601st sport as a Cub. He had one walk-off in his earlier 600, a Tenth-inning single that beat the Blue Jays, 6-5, on Aug. 16, 2024.

The Cubs have had:
10 walk-offs this yr
1,007 since 1876
909 within the Modern Era (started 1901)
804 at Wrigley Field (residence since 1916)
966 whole at residence
 41 on street (in early days, the house staff didn’t all the time bat first)

The franchise document for walk-off wins is 14, set in 1930. That one appears inside attain. The MLB document is 17, set by the Pirates in 1959 and tied by them in 1977. Even that one may be approached by this yr’s Cardiac Cubs.

It’s additionally simply the fourth time this yr, in 33 video games, {that a} staff had two or extra hits off Miller, and the primary time they did it with simply three batters going through him. It’s additionally one among simply 4 instances this yr that Miller didn’t strike out anybody.

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Here are Suzuki’s postgame remarks [VIDEO].

And here are postgame comments from Craig Counsell [VIDEO].

The Cubs maintained tempo with the Brewers, who additionally received Monday, and stay 5.5 video games out of first place. They additionally took excessive wild card spot from the Phillies, who misplaced Monday. The Cubs and Phillies at the moment are tied with data of 47-38, however the Cubs have the tie-breaker over the Phillies.

One last item I’d like to notice: PCA walked twice on this sport, the sixth time he’s had a minimum of two walks in a sport. He had simply two such video games all of final yr. Here’s how a lot better PCA is at drawing walks this yr: