Padres 3, Cubs 2: Friars bring home a clean win

To avoid a game 3 loss and the sweep: it took a village. After 43 pitches, San Diego’s starter was out and the bullpen was going to have to roll up their sleeves and put in some work. Thankfully, they did, but their necessity was brought on by some bad news.

At the end of 2-and-some innings of scoreless baseball, Miguel Diaz was yanked due to an unclear injury. Reports are that there is no serious damage, but he’ll be out for the next scheduled start and was unable to go too far into his start here in Chicago. Still, he recorded a strikeout, and his direct reliever Craig Stammen finished out 2+ innings giving the Cubs their only two runs of the game from a HR to Ian Haps.

Phil Maton, Brad Hand, and Brandon Maurer all pulled together for some scoreless, hitless baseball. Heck, the whole bullpen was putting in work with Stammen scoring in the 5th off of a Jose Pirela RBI-single, a run that would decide the game.

Erick Aybar would end up hitting the game-tying home run off Cubs reliever Brian Duensing.

However, it was Koji Uehara that would cost the Cubs the game in the 8th after giving up a single to Wil Myers, a single to Cory Spangenberg, intentionally walking Erick Aybar to get to Luis Torrens, then walking Torrens (unintentionally) on a 3-1 count. I’m going to guess Joe Maddon didn’t take that strategy out of the same playbook that has his players intentionally targeting people on illegal slides - but at least this time a run actually scored.

Duhhhwhoops.

Padres win, and, unlike the Padres, the Cubs can’t complete the sweep at home.

The Tigers are in town starting Friday, Dinelson Lamet will get the start.

Correction: