CUBS SWEEP PADS

By Liz Alper

Photo courtesy @Padres on Twitter

August 24, 2016 (San Diego) - The Padres are facing the winningest team in baseball and they’re trying to avoid being swept.  Not the best situation, but they do what they can.  Another ace Cubs pitcher was on the mound in Kyle Hendricks; he started against Paul Clemens for San Diego.

If the Padres wanted to avoid a sweep, they had a funny way of showing it.  In the first, after a leadoff double by Dexter Fowler and a double by Kris Bryant, Ben Zobrist tripled and drove them both in and the Cubs jumped out to a 2-0 lead.  Jorge Soler scored Zobrist with a sac fly and the northsiders went up 3-0.

The Padres got some reprieve with Brett Wallace’s sac fly that scored Ryan Schimpf to make the score 3-1 in the second.

In the third, Wil Myers tripled to score Travis Jankowski and the lead was one, 3-2.

But the Cubs pulled away in the sixth when two runners scored on an error to make the score 5-2.

Wilson Contreras topped it off with a solo homer in the seventh to make the score 6-2.

Schimpf doubled in the eighth, scoring Alex Dickerson and the Padres cut the lead in half to 6-3.  But the rally was cut short again as the Cubs swept the Padres 6-3.

The Padres have an off day tomorrow, on which they’ll travel to Miami to take on the Marlins on Friday.